CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Television (Rural Areas)

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she plans to change her policy on the self-help scheme to provide assistance for rural residents outside the reach of analogue television signals.

Estelle Morris: We recognise the benefit of existing analogue self help schemes in extending terrestrial television to rural communities not reached by the broadcasters' television transmitters. These schemes continue to be licensed by my Department. We will be considering the potential of self help schemes to enable communities to receive digital television services in the context of on-going work under the Digital Television Action Plan.

Television (Rural Areas)

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her plans are for those rural areas that will be unable to receive analogue television signals in 2010.

Estelle Morris: The Government are committed to ensuring that terrestrial analogue broadcasting signals are maintained until: everyone who can currently get the main public service broadcasting channels in analogue form (BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4/S4C and Five) can receive them on digital systems; switching to digital is an affordable option for the vast majority of people; and as a target indicator of affordability, 95 per cent. of consumers have access to digital equipment. A Digital Television Action Plan is already in place, designed to deliver these pre-conditions for switching off analogue terrestrial transmissions. A copy of the Action Plan is available at www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk.

Departmental Energy Use

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much (a) electricity and (b) other energy her Department has used in each year since 1997 (i) in total and (ii) per square metre; what the projected use is for each of the following years for which forecasts are made; what plans she has to reduce usage; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The figures for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for years 1997 to 2002 were provided to the hon. Member by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw), on 3 November 2003, Official Report, columns 403–06W.
	In the year 2003 the Department anticipates that it will use 415,000 KWH of electricity and 346,000 KWH of gas.
	Consumption Figures in Kilowatt hours per square metre are 313 for electricity and for 260 gas.
	In year 2004 the Department anticipates that it will use 4,450,000 KWH for electricity and 346,000 for gas.
	Consumption figures per square metre would then be 335 for electricity and 260 for gas.
	The Department is initiating energy audits and is working with Office of Government Commerce contractors to reduce consumption.

Ministerial Visits

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list visits made by ministers in her Department in England in each of the last five years, broken down by constituency.

Richard Caborn: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Olympic Games

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding has been made available to British sportsmen and women in preparation for the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.

Tessa Jowell: Funding to our elite sportsmen and women is provided from the National Lottery. The Government committed £100 million to support elite British Sportsmen and women in the four-year period from the Sydney to the Athens Olympics. This commitment maintains the level of lottery funding to elite athletes at the same level in the run up to the Athens Olympics as was provided in the run up to the Sydney Games.

Olympic Games

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with disability groups on the involvement of disabled people in planning for the 2012 Olympic Games bid.

Tessa Jowell: Arrangements for holding the Paralympic Games form an important and integral part of hosting the Olympic Games. London 2012 is responsible for preparing the London Olympic bid and has appointed Mike Brace, Chairman of the British Paralympic Association, as a member of its board. Disability groups have been in contact with my officials about ensuring the London Olympic bid is inclusive and delivers a sustainable legacy.

Television Licence Fee

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was paid in television licence fees by residents of Dumfries and Galloway in the last year for which figures are available.

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was paid in TV licence fees by residents of Chorley parliamentary constituency in each of the last five years.

Estelle Morris: The information requested is not available, since TV Licensing, who administer the television licensing system for the BBC, do not maintain statistics of television licence sales and revenues by locality.

Television Licence Fee

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of television licence fee holders in (a) Dumfries and Galloway, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK are able to receive (i) all five terrestrial television channels and (ii) Freeview.

Estelle Morris: The ITC and BBC advise that the available estimates of terrestrial television coverage are as follows:
	
		
			  UK households Scotland households 
		
		
			 Analogue BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 99.4 98.1 
			 Analogue Five 80 (1)— 
			 Freeview digital terrestrial television (all multiplexes) 73.1 80.5 
		
	
	(1) Estimate not available
	Further details of Five analogue terrestrial television coverage can be found at the website: www.five.tv and details of digital terrestrial television coverage at: www.dtg.org.uk and www.freeview.co.uk.

TRANSPORT

RAF Lyneham

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to increase air freight traffic through Lyneham; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
	I have taken the hon. Member's question to refer to civilian freight traffic. No steps have been taken to increase such traffic through RAF Lyneham; requests are considered on a case-by-case basis and are fulfilled on repayment terms, using irreducible spare capacity at the Station.

Air Travel

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the total demand for air travel in the UK in 2060, expressed as a multiple of the present number of passengers using Heathrow, on the basis of the forecast rates of growth used to calculate the economic benefits of various runway options in the consultation on the Future of Air Transport.

Kim Howells: The forecasts presented in the consultation document, "The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East", 2002, extended to 2030. No forecast has been made of the total demand for air travel in the UK in 2060. However, for the purposes of the analysis of economic benefits of runway options, the forecasts were projected forward to 2060, assuming a 50 per cent. increase in demand from 2030 to 2060.

Air Travel

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 11 September 2003, Official Report, column 373W, on air travel, what estimate has been made of the percentage change in the cost of air travel from 2000 to 2030, if no new runways were to be built in the UK.

Kim Howells: The mid point forecasts in the consultation document: The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom-South East, assumed an underlying trend reduction in air fares of 1 per cent. per annum. In addition to this, if no new runways were built in the South East, passengers at Heathrow would pay a fare premium of £67.50 on a single journey in 2030. This fare premium would be higher if airport capacity outside the South East was also constrained, but no estimate has been made of this. The combined effect of these two factors would be an 18 per cent. increase in the cost of air travel in this case.

Airport Infrastructure

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) financial and (b) other support his Department will provide for new airport infrastructure, including associated transport links.

Tony McNulty: The question of Government support for any new airport infrastructure is being considered in the context of decisions about future development. In our consultation, we invited views on the use of public money to support airport development and surface transport links, and we are analysing the responses. We will set out our policy in the air transport White Paper.

Deep Vein Thrombosis

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding the Government have contributed to the World Health Organisation's research into deep vein thrombosis; and what progress has been made in the research.

Tony McNulty: To date, the Government have contributed approximately £400,000 to the WHO research project. We expect our total contribution to be in excess of £1.1 million. Epidemiological studies are being carried out in the Netherlands: two at the Leiden University Medical Centre and one at the Amsterdam Medical Centre. Clinical and physiopathological studies are being carried out in the UK.
	At the Leiden centre, work is well advanced on the cohort study among business travellers, following a successful pilot study of the employees of an international company in Switzerland. The proposed methodology for the case-control study among frequent travellers was also piloted. However, for technical reasons an alternative methodology has been proposed, which I understand the Scientific Executive Committee responsible for the research protocols has approved in principle. At the Amsterdam centre, following extensive planning and preparation, the first test of the travel and non-travel immobility study will start shortly. This will comprise an eight-hour flight before, during and after which blood samples from volunteer passengers will be drawn for examination. Further tests will be carried out on the same volunteers to assess their clinical response to eight hours immobility, without travel, and eight hours engaged in normal activities.
	The other stream of the research, examining the effects of hypobaria and hypoxia on the risk of deep vein thrombosis, is already under way under the auspices of Leicester University. Hypobaric chamber tests are being carried out at the aviation medical facilities at RAF Henlow to examine the effects of reduced atmospheric pressure on the cardio-vascular systems of volunteers seated for eight hours.
	The World Health Organisation is due to publish the results of the research at the end of 2004 or early 2005.

Departmental Energy Use

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much (a) electricity and (b) other energy his Department has used in each year since 1997 (i) in total and (ii) per square metre; what the projected use is for each of the following years for which forecasts are made; what plans he has to reduce usage; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: In respect of (a) and (b) I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw) on 3 November 2003, Official Report, columns 403–08W.
	Energy management is delegated to local energy managers who are responsible for assessing usage and tailoring procurement decisions and awareness campaigns accordingly.
	The Department is committed in its Greening Operations Policy Statement to reducing energy usage. The Department will communicate with staff and contractors about environmental policies and best practice and continue with office equipment 'switch off' and other energy awareness campaigns.

Airports Consultation

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether the report of the Inspector of the Terminal 5 Inquiry at Heathrow is included as part of the consultation into Future Development of Air Transport in the UK;
	(2)  if he will uphold the recommendations of the Inspector for the Heathrow Terminal 5 Inquiry in the forthcoming Aviation White Paper.

Tony McNulty: In his decision of 20 November 2001 on the Heathrow Terminal 5 planning application, the then Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions said that matters about the future of Heathrow airport (other than his decision on Terminal 5) would be for the review of airports policy and this would take account of the Inquiry Inspector's comments.
	Paragraph 7.2 of "The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East" consultation referred to the approval for Terminal 5 at Heathrow.

Airports Consultation

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether nitrogen dioxide is assessed as a relevant pollutant in section 7.29 of the Government's consultation paper The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom.

Tony McNulty: Yes.

M5 (Roadworks)

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) current and (b) projected roadworks on the M5 motorway between Bristol and Tiverton; and how long each section of work is expected to take.

David Jamieson: I have asked the Acting Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Stephen Hickey, to write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Richard Bennett to Mr Adrian Flook, dated 4 November 2003
	I am writing on behalf of Stephen Mickey, who has been asked by David Jamieson to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the current and projected roadworks on the M5 motorway
	The Highways Agency has a four-year rolling programme of works. This includes resurfacing (including overlay of concrete roads), the upgrade of signs and safety fence installations well as improvements to reduce congestion. Those works due to begin in this financial year are listed in Table 1. Those due to start in the next financial year are still subject to decisions on funding and prioritisation before a list can be provided.
	
		Table 1
		
			 Scheme title and location Approximate works duration 
		
		
			 Works currently undertaken  
			 M5 Junction 20–21 Resurfacing Eight weeks 
			   
			 Works to be undertaken in 2003–04  
			 M5 Junction 26–27 Concrete Resurfacing 13 weeks (starts March 04) 
			 M5 Signing Upgrade Rolling Programme 
			 M5 Junction 19 Park and Ride Signing Four weeks

Motorcycling

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the safety proposals of the Government Advisory Group for Motorcycling; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has to introduce safety-related legislation regarding the use of motorised two wheelers; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what plans he has to promote motorcycles as an environmentally friendly alternative to cars; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The Advisory Group on Motorcycling, which I chair, has been considering a range of issues related to the role of motorcycling, including safety and environmental performance. The Advisory Group is not due to report until next year, following which the Government will determine its strategy for motorcycling. It is too early to say what Government policy will include, as it would be inappropriate to pre-empt the findings of the Advisory Group.

Public Transport (Safety and Security)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action the Government is taking to increase the (a) security and (b) safety of public transport in London.

Tony McNulty: The Government fully support the British Transport Police (BTP) who as the police force for London's railways and London Underground are an integral part of the city's anti-terrorism policing strategy. There is very close liaison and co-operation between BTP and the rail industry, Transport For London (TfL), Government departments, the Metropolitan Police and other emergency services at all levels. The Health  Safety Executive, as rail regulator, also work closely with London Underground and the national rail operators on safety related issues.
	In addition, TfL is part of a joint initiative with the Metropolitan policethe Transport Policing Initiative, which is aimed particularly at increasing safety and security on London's bus services.
	The Secretary of State for Transport also issues the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) with directions and guidance, which require the SRA to encourage train operators to participate in both the Secure Stations and Secure Car Park schemes, which award accreditation when specified standards of design and management are reached. Further to this, the Modern Facilities at Stations programme will provide CCTV at some of London's stations.

Rail Traffic Congestion (Birmingham New Street)

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of rail traffic congestion at and around Birmingham New Street station on the performance of the national rail network.

Tony McNulty: The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) has developed a 'Capacity Utilisation Policy' aimed at delivering the most efficient use of the current network. Individual 'Route Utilisation Strategies' (RUS) will now be developed. The SRA intends to consult on the RUS for the West Midlands in Spring 2004. The outcomes are expected to include improved capacity and performance.
	The SRA has also announced a new approach to the long term planning of the railway network through Regional Planning Assessments (RPAs). These will form the basis on which the development of Britain's railway is planned over the medium to longer term (520 years). The provisional date for the publication of the West Midlands RPA is Autumn 2004.

Railway Stations

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 17 July 2003, Official Report, column 618W, on station improvements, if he will list the stations where improvements are (a) taking place and (b) being considered.

Tony McNulty: Further to the answer I gave to the hon. Gentleman of 17 July: at Table 1 is a list of the Strategic Rail Authority's Rail Passenger Partnership (RPP) schemes that include station improvements and which have been approved for RPP funding. Table 2 lists a further 68 stations that are being considered by the Authority under its Modern Facilities at Stations Scheme (MFAS). The SRA and Network Rail are currently developing a schedule of work for the stations included in the programme. The timetable has yet to be finalised. Table 3 is a list of schemes in Scotland. Some of these are funded through RPP and some through the Incremental Outputs Statements scheme (IOS). In other cases new stations are also being provided as part of a wider project.
	
		Table 1: Rail Passenger Partnership Schemes
		
			 Station scheme Status 
		
		
			 1. Witham Now withdrawn 
			 2. Burnham on Crouch Completed 
			 3. Waterbeach In progress 
			 4. Littleport Contracts being finalised 
			 5. Bury St. Edmunds In progress 
			 6. Downham Contracts being finalised 
			 7. Brentford Completed 
			 8. Tees Valley In Progress 
			 9. Thornaby Completed 
			 10. Macclesfield Completed 
			 11. Horwich In progress 
			 12. Chorley Contracts being finalised 
			 13. Hexham/Carlisle Completed 
			 14. Ramsgate Interchange Contracts being finalised 
			 15. Saltash Contracts being finalised 
			 16. Penzance Interchange Completed (Phase 1) 
			 I7. Liskeard Interchange Contracts being finalised 
			 18. Plymouth Completed 
			 19. Chippenham Contracts being finalised 
			 20. Bodmin Completed 
			 21. Redruth Completed 
			 22. Beauly Completed 
			 23. Edinburgh Park In progress 
			 24. Ludlow Completed 
			 25. Burnley Central Contracts being finalised 
			 26. Bromsgrove Completed 
			 27. Gobowen Completed 
			 28. Haverfordwest Completed 
			 29. Doncaster Now withdrawn 
			 30. Sheffield In progress 
		
	
	Table 2: Modern facilities at station schemes
	Station scheme
	1. Aintree
	2. Audley End
	3. Aughton Park
	4. Bebington
	5. Birkenhead Central
	6. Bishops Stortford
	7. BootleNew Strand
	8. Bootle Oriel Road
	9. Bromborough
	10. Brondesbury
	11. Brondesbury Park
	12. Bush Hill Park
	13. Cheshunt
	14.Clacton-on-Sea
	15. Colchester
	16.Colchester Town
	17. Davenport
	18. Downham Market
	19. Edmonton Green
	20. Elsenham
	21. Enfield Lock
	22. Enfield Town
	23. Erdington
	24. Flitwick
	25. Forest Gate
	26. Formby
	27. Four Oaks
	28. Freshfield
	29. Goodmayes
	30. Green Lane
	31. Hadfield
	32. Harlington
	33. Harlow Hill
	34. Harlow Town
	35.Hatfield Peverel
	36. Hazel Grove
	37. Hightown
	38. Hillside
	39. Hockley
	40. Hooton
	41. Ingatestone
	42. Kelvedon
	43. Kensal Rise
	44. Laindon
	45. Leagrave
	46. Lichfield City
	47. Manningtree
	48. Marks Tey
	49. Marple
	50. Moreton
	51. New Mills Newton
	52. Newport (Essex)
	53. Old Roan
	54. Orrell Oak
	55. Rye House
	56. Sandhills
	57. Seven Kings
	58. Shelford
	59. Spital
	60. St. Margarets (Herts)
	61. Stansted Mountfitchet
	62. Town Green
	63. Ware
	64. Waterloo (Merseyside)
	65. West Hampstead
	66. West Kirby
	67. Whittlesford
	68. Wivenhoe
	
		Table 3: Schemes in Scotland
		
			 Scheme Status 
		
		
			 Edinburgh Park station (RPP) Due to open November 2003 
			 Beauly station (RPP) Completed 
			 Gourock station Development plan under consideration 
			 Edinburgh Waverley station Development options being considered 
			 Edinburgh Crossrail (RPP(2)) Completed 
			 Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine line(3) Statutory powers being sought 
			 Airdree-Bathgate line(3) Engineering study let 
			 Larkhall-Milngavie line(3) Contract tendered 
			 Scottish Borders line(3) Statutory powers being sought 
			 Glasgow Airport Link(3) Engineering study 
			 Edinburgh Airport Link(3) Engineering study 
			 Aberdeen Crossrail(3) Feasibility stage 
			 Platform extensions at 25 stations:(4) Due for completion October 2004 
			 Uphall  
			 Livingston North  
			 Bathgate  
			 South Gyle  
			 North Queensferry  
			 Dalgety Bay  
			 Aberdour  
			 Kinghorn  
			 Glenrothes  
			 Cardenden  
			 Lochgelly  
			 Cowdenbeath  
			 Dunfermline Queen Margaret  
			 Rosyth  
			 Bridge of Allan  
			 Larbet  
			 Camelon  
			 Pollockshaws West  
			 Thornliebank  
			 Giffnock  
			 Clarkston  
			 Busby  
			 Thorntonhall  
			 Hairmyres  
			 East Kilbride  
		
	
	(2) RPP support for operating costs only
	(3) New stations provided or proposed as part of a wider project.
	(4) Jointly funded through the SRA's Incremental Output Statements scheme and the Scottish Executive's Integrated Transport Fund

Railway Stations

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects that Liverpool Lime Street station will be owned by Network Rail; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: In common with the other 2,500 railway stations on the rail network, Liverpool Lime Street is already owned by Network Rail.
	Network Rail are, however, in negotiations with First North Western to take operational control of the station. Network Rail inform me that negotiations are well advanced.

Speed Limits

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received in support of a review of the speed limits on roads; and what plans he has to undertake such a review.

David Jamieson: The Road Safety Strategy, published in March 2000 gave a commitment to review guidance on setting local speed limits. The Transport Select Committee on Road Traffic Speed that reported last year also recommended a review of speed limit guidance and this was supported by local authorities and road safety professionals.
	Work has already started on revised guidance to local authorities and we expect a first draft to be available in spring 2004.

Stansted Airport

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the cross-subsidy in favour of Stansted Airport.

Tony McNulty: Stansted is a designated airport subject to price cap regulation under the 1986 Airports Act. As such, the issue of cross-subsidy in favour of Stansted was considered by the CAA as part of its price cap review and decisions on BAA's London airports, published in February 2003. The Government will set out their policy on this issue in the Air Transport White Paper.

Transport Managers

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether it is mandatory for a transport manager to be in the employment of the licence holder under EU Directive 96/26.

David Jamieson: Section 58 of the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995 defines a transport manager as
	an individual who is in, or is engaged to enter into, the employment of the holder of a standard licence who, either alone or jointly with one or more other persons, has continuous and effective responsibility for the management of the transport operations of the business.
	This complies with the requirements of EU Directive 96/26/EC in respect of transport managers.
	It is for the statutorily independent traffic commissioners who administer the goods operator licensing system to interpret the law and to satisfy themselves that transport managers meet its requirements.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent to which the Administration of Mr. Hamid Karzai is considered to be a credible national Government across Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: President Karzai and the Afghan Transitional Administration (ATA) are the legitimate Government of Afghanistan, following President Karzai's election by the Emergency Loya Jirga in June 2002.

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's aims are at the Convention on Conventional Weapons negotiations in November; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The Government recognises the importance of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and will continue to play an active role in the negotiations at the United Nations in Geneva. Our immediate aims for the November meeting will be to continue to work for conclusion of an agreement on a new and legally binding instrument on Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) and to reach consensus on a negotiating mandate for 2004 to take forward constructive work on Mines Other Than Anti-Personnel Mines (MOTAPMS).

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department's representatives at the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons negotiations in November will seek agreement on a mandate for future negotiations on cluster munitions.

Denis MacShane: The UK will seek a mandate for negotiations on an instrument that could contain technical standards to be phased in for cluster munitions. This would aim to improve the reliability of cluster munitions so that fewer of them remain unexploded.

Ethiopia/Eritrea

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with the generals of (a) Ethiopia and (b) Eritrea concerning the implementation of the decision on the border dispute; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: We have had no direct discussions with generals on either side on this subject. However, the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) Forces Commander has had regular, joint discussions with the military commanders of both sides in the Military Co-ordination Committee (MCC). And we are in close touch with the Governments of both countries.

European Commission Vacancies

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role the UK representative office has in selecting candidates for European Commission vacancies; what guidelines have been issued on this process; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The European Commission is responsible for selecting candidates for vacancies within its services. Most such vacancies are filled through internal procedures by permanent Commission employees who have been recruited through open competition. For a small number of temporary appointments the Commission inform member states of vacancies and invite them to submit names of potential candidates. A Commission Selection Committee decides on such appointments.

Iraq

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of opening Basra International Airport to non-governmental commercial and passenger flights for (a) trade with and (b) the reconstruction of Iraq.

Bill Rammell: Opening Basra airport to commercial aviation would have a positive effect on trade and reconstruction. We intend that the airport should be opened to commercial aviation as soon as possible once the relevant security and other requirements have been met.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the coalition governments have had with Red Crescent officials regarding involvement in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Coalition Provisional Authority has had contacts with the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, which is active throughout the country. The Iraqi Red Crescent Society works with the local authorities in the search for, and identification of bodies in, mass graves; contacting families and assisting with burials; basic first aid; ambulance services; and rehabilitation of its four hospitals.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the United States State Department informed the Government of the outcome of the work undertaken by the working groups on the likely political, economic and security situation in a post-invasion Iraq.

Denis MacShane: There have been frequent and regular meetings between the Government and members of the United States State Department before, during and after the conflict, at which all aspects of policy in Iraq have been discussed.

Land Mines

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what he is doing to combat the (a) production and (b) export of land mines worldwide.

Bill Rammell: The Government considers universalisation of the Ottawa Convention to be the best means of combating the production, use, stockpiling or transfer of anti-personnel land mines. The United Kingdom was among the first states to ratify the Convention and continues to play a leading role in follow-up work, including encouraging the widest possible adherence to the treaty. Through our diplomatic missions overseas we have recently lobbied states not party to the Convention, urging their ratification or accession at the earliest opportunity.

Religious Freedom (Egypt)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise the issue of religious freedom with the Egyptian Government and urge it to permit Muslim converts to Christianity to change their (a) religion and (b) names in their identity papers.

Bill Rammell: The British Government is committed to promoting tolerance and mutual respect between religions. Although the majority of people in Egypt are Muslim, there is a large Christian minority who are free to practice their own religion. The Egyptian State upholds Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and their obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Egyptian citizens are therefore free to convert to Christianity. The lack of an administrative provision for converts to Christianity to change their religious affiliation on their identity cards is a problem. We understand that a suit has been brought in the Egyptian courts to remove this affiliation altogether.

Serbia

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are to rebuild the bridges at Novi Sad; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The 3 bridges destroyed at Novi Sad during the 1999 NATO intervention have been replaced. However, one of these is a temporary pontoon structure, which will be removed on completion of a Euro40 million European-Union funded reconstruction of the 'Sloboda' bridge, due in May 2005. The EU also contributed Euro22 million to the successful clearance of bris and unexploded ordnance from the riverbed, which was completed in June 2003.

Stability Pact

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the European Union's Stability Pact for the Balkans; what projects have been completed; what projects are under way; what stage they are at; when they are estimated to be completed; what projects have been agreed to but have not yet commenced; what projects have been submitted for consideration and are awaiting decision; and which of these relate to Serbia and Montenegro.

Denis MacShane: The Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe was established in 1999. It has helped the region address a wide range of issues in support of stabilisation, development and reform. The Stability Pact's activity is divided into three Working Tables: Human Rights and Democratisation (Working Table I); Economic Reconstruction, Development and Cooperation (Working Table II); and Security Issues (Working Table III). The Pact's umbrella currently covers 26 different initiatives. The Pact has six priorities for 2003: Local Democracy and Cross Border Cooperation; Media (both Working Table I): Regional Infrastructure/ Energy; Trade and Investment (both Working Table II); Organised Crime; and Managing and Stabilising Population Movements (both Working Table III).
	The Pact has no budget (except for its own Secretariat) with which to fund or implement projects. Its principal function is to act as a conduit for project implementers and donors. It is therefore difficult to provide information on the status of projects profiled under the auspices of the Pact, as these remain owned by the donor(s).
	In relation to Serbia and Montenegro (SaM), the Pact has helped with the following items under the six priorities during 2003:
	Local Democracy and Cross Border Cooperation
	Launch of the Nis-Skopje-Sofia local government Euroregion initiative.
	Establishment of a network of National Associations and Local Authorities in South Eastern Europe (which will cover SaM).
	Media
	Production of a grid of media related projects (the most recent version had nine projects relating specifically to SaM).
	Support for implementation of broadcast legislation in Montenegro.
	Identification of donor funds to support specialist schools of journalism in the region, including one in Podgorica.
	Regional Infrastructure/Energy
	Support for Industry Round Tables in Prague in February and Sofia in October.
	Assistance for a meeting of senior government Energy advisers from the region in Vienna in June was supported. SaM representatives participated in these.
	Trade and Investment
	Facilitation of discussions to help overcome obstacles to the practical implementation of SaM's bilateral free-trade agreements with the rest of the region.
	Organised Crime
	Experts' meetings organised within the South Eastern European Cooperation Process in June and October. SaM representatives attended these meetings.
	Managing and Stabilising Population Movements
	Facilitation of discussions on resolving the issue of pension payments for returnees between SaM and Croatia.
	Support for a comprehensive return agreement between SaM and Bosnia Herzegovina, signed in October.
	Further details can be found on the Stability Pact's website (www.stabilitypact.org).

Sudan

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to (a) promote respect for human rights and justice among participants in the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development sponsored peace process in Sudan and (b) encourage the inclusion and participation in the peace process of hitherto excluded political parties and civil society groups.

Chris Mullin: In their decision to end the civil war, the parties recognise that the principle of human rights must be at the core of any peace agreement. We have taken every opportunity to reiterate this message. On 14 October the Government of Sudan released from house arrest Dr. Hassan al-Turabi, the leader of the Popular National Congress, as well as other political prisoners. We welcome this step towards reconciliation of all parties.
	We are considering ways to strengthen civil society participation in consolidating peace and, with others, to support the establishment of a Human Rights Commission and other relevant institutions following a peace agreement. We will also look at ways to support the development of an effective public administration and judicial system throughout Sudan.
	Human Rights is at the forefront of our policy in helping Sudan reach a comprehensive peace agreement.

Sudan

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Government of Sudan since the end of the temporary ceasefire on finding a political solution to the conflict in Darfur.

Chris Mullin: Our Embassy in Khartoum continues to focus on the issue of Darfur and is following closely both the humanitarian situation and the political dialogue at the Abeche peace talks.
	We believe that the Abeche Agreement did not stipulate an end to the cease-fire and we call on both parties to respect that agreement. Our Ambassador to Sudan has spoken to the Government of Sudan on a number of occasions, and continues to do so, about the need for a process of political engagement.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Sudan on the house detention of Dr. Hassan al-Turabi.

Chris Mullin: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to him on 23 October 2003, Official Report, column 713W. Dr. Hassan al-Turabi, and other political prisoners, were released on 13 October 2003.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the security agreement signed between the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement; and what assessment he has made of the prospects for long-lasting peace in Sudan.

Chris Mullin: I refer my hon. Friend to the joint press statement made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend the then Secretary of State for International Development (Baroness Amos) on 25 September in which they welcomed the Framework Agreement on Security Arrangements during the Interim Period. A copy of the statement is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website: www.fco.gov.uk/policy/news/press-releases. We believe that this is a reflection of the commitment of both Parties and an important step towards peace.
	We are encouraged by the progress made so far and are optimistic for the prospects of peace in the long term.

Zimbabwe

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he has taken to trail assets moved by spouses and children of senior ZANU PF officials; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: In 2002 the EU imposed an asset freeze on senior members of the Zimbabwe government. The list of targets includes Grace Mugabe, Robert Mugabe's wife. We are obliged to locate and freeze any assets held by her in the UK. While no other spouses or children of senior Zanu PF officials are on the sanctions list, if a UK bank suspects that an account in someone else's name is being used by or for a Zimbabwean on the sanctions list then it should be reported to the Bank of England.

Zimbabwe

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response he has made to the threat by Mr. Robert Mugabe to use British citizens as hostages in the event of British action.

Chris Mullin: Mugabe has made a range of threats in response to alleged British plans to intervene in Zimbabwe. There are no such plans.

Zimbabwe

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his response to the Eighth Report of Session 200203 from the Foreign Affairs Committee on Zimbabwe, if he will now revisit his decision not to take steps to strip Mr. Robert Mugabe of his honorary knighthood.

Chris Mullin: Our position on this remains unchanged. We do not view the removal of Mugabe's honorary knighthood, conferred on him in 1994, on the recommendation of the previous government, as an immediate priority. Our current efforts are focused on providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Zimbabwe, whilst encouraging the return of a democratically accountable government which respects human rights and the rule of law. We may nevertheless revisit this question in the future.

Zimbabwe

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his plans for (a) the consular section of the British High Commission in Harare and (b) the processing of applications for entry clearance from Zimbabwean nationals.

Chris Mullin: The High Commission in Harare is currently offering a full range of consular and entry clearance services. There are no plans to change the consular services provided by the British High Commission in Harare, including the processing of entry clearance applications.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Expenditure

Mark Prisk: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what total expenditure by the Electoral Commission has been on (a) consultations, (b) pilot schemes, (c) conferences, (d) publications and (e) staffing costs for each financial year from 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Viggers: Total expenditure by the Electoral Commission, rounded to the nearest 1,000, on (a) consultations, (b) pilot schemes, (c) conferences, (d) publications and (e) staffing costs, for each financial year from 1 April 2001, is set out in the following table:
	
		000
		
			  (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) 
			  Consultations Pilot schemes Conferences Publications Staffing 
		
		
			 200102 69 n/a 1 697 1,371 
			 200203 964 168 45 1,548 3,136 
			 200304(5) 672 701 59 563 2,044 
		
	
	(5) To end September 2003.
	Notes:
	1. Figures given in columns (a) and (b) exclude staffing, publications and conference costs relating to these work streams. These costs appear as part of the global figures in columns (c), (d) and (e).
	2. Consultation costs include consultation activities and public opinion research undertaken by the Electoral Commission in relation to policy reviews under section 6 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) and to inform the preparation of statutory election reports under section 5 of PPERA. It also includes consultation exercises carried out by the Boundary Committee for England since April 2002 in relation to Periodic Electoral Reviews. Boundary Committee for England costs associated with consultations carried out as part of the current Local Government Reviews are also included; however, there is an offsetting Appropriation in Aid from the budget of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to meet these costs.
	3. The Boundary Committee for England was established as part of The Electoral Commission on 1 April 2002. Costs for 200102 therefore do not include the costs associated with periodic electoral reviews of English local authorities, which in that year were being undertaken by the Local Government Commission for England.
	4. The Commission first evaluated an electoral pilot scheme in April 2002. No costs were therefore incurred in 200102.
	5. Staffing costs include secondees and agency staff.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Double Summer Time

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research she has commissioned on the effects of the possible introduction of double summertime.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government have no current plans to alter the present summer time arrangements as previous research concluded that the disadvantages outweighed the benefits.

Fireworks

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to tackle the public use of Chinese fireworks; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Most fireworks sold to the general public in the United Kingdom originate in China. But whether fireworks are imported or made here in the UK, all which are intended for use by the general public must meet the requirements of the Fireworks (Safety) Regulations 1997 and the British Standard BS 7114, the safety standard governing the safe construction, testing and labelling of consumer fireworks.
	We advise the public therefore to buy only fireworks marked as complying with BS 7114 Part 2. Also it is illegal for shopkeepers to sell fireworks to the public which do not meet the requirements of the Fireworks (Safety) Regulations 1997 and BS 7114.

Fireworks

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  in respect of what (a) weight and (b) number of items of fireworks import licences were granted to Global Fireworks Ltd. (i) prior to 5 April 2002, (ii) between 6 April 2002 and 5 April 2003 and (iii) from 6 April 2003 to date;
	(2)  how many import licences for fireworks were granted to Global Fireworks Ltd. (a) prior to 5 April 2002, (b) between 6 April 2002 and 5 April 2003 and (c) from 6 April 2003 to date.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Licensing controls on imports of fireworks from China applied from 15 March 1994 to 10 March 2003. Licences specified weight of shipment rather than the number of items. The ending of the licensing regime was one of the conditions of China's entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The following licences were issued to Global Fireworks Ltd.:
	(a) Prior to 5 April 2002: four licences totalling 103,608 kg
	(b) Between 6 April 2002 and 5 April 2003: no licences issued
	(c) From 6 April 2003 to date: no licences issued.

Fireworks

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to tackle the sale of illegal fireworks through the internet; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: United Kingdom based companies selling over the internet are subject to the provisions of the Fireworks (Safety) Regulations 1997. We cannot legislate for those companies who operate outside the UK. However, we advise consumers to exercise the utmost caution when buying fireworks over the internet from outside the UK. Also it is illegal to supply fireworks in the UK which have not been classified by Health and Safety Executive's Explosives Inspectorate.

Scottish Aerospace Strategy

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the efficacy of the Scottish Aerospace Strategy Initiative; what plans she has to establish a similar strategy for the aerospace industry in the North West of England; what discussions she has had with the Scotland Office about developing the aerospace industry in Scotland; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has made no assessment of the efficacy of the Scottish Aerospace Strategy Initiative, as this is a matter of economic development and devolved to the Scottish Executive.
	In May 2002, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry established the Aerospace Innovation and Growth Team (AeIGT) to produce a 20-year vision for the future of the aerospace industry across the whole of the UK and to make recommendations as to how to make that vision a reality. Those recommendations were published in June 2003 and give strategic direction for the aerospace industry across the UK, including the North West of England. The Chairman of the North West Regional Development Agency is a member of the AeIGT and continues to be, closely involved in its work. It is for the North West Regional Development Agency to consider the need for a regional strategy.
	The Department has an on-going relationship with the Scottish Executive and its economic development agencies both as part of the dialogue of Working with the Regions and Devolved Administrations and in the context of the implementation of the AeIGT report.

Airbus/Aircraft Carrier Projects

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is on the provision of launch aid to businesses in the supply chain for (a) Airbus and (b) aircraft carrier projects.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 30 October 2003
	The provision of Launch Investment is entirely discretionary. Each application is considered on its merits against a range of established criteria and against public expenditure constraints.
	The Government are currently investing 530 million of Launch Investment to Airbus UK for the design and development of the Airbus A380 wings. The support provided to the prime contractor such as Airbus UK benefits the whole of the supply chain by securing strategically important projects for the UK. On the A380 programme more than 400 companies located throughout the UK are already contributing to the programme.
	Launch Investment is only available to the civil aerospace sector and therefore aircraft carrier projects would not be eligible for support.

Arms Trade

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  pursuant to her answer of 6 October 2003, Official Report, column 1067W, whether her Department's proposals for secondary orders under the Export Control Act 2002 will comply with the text adopted by the plenary session of the European Parliament on 19 June 2003 (B50312/2003);
	(2)  pursuant to her answer of 6 October 2003, Official Report, column 1069W, if she will change her proposals on the secondary orders on export control to comply with the text adopted by the plenary session of the European Parliament on 19 June 2003 B50312/2003, regarding (a) full extraterritorial control and (b) a register of arms dealers.

Nigel Griffiths: The European Parliament resolution is exhortatory so the question of compliance with it does not arise.

Arms Trade

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many exhibitors at the recent Arms Trade Fair in London did not have licences to trade and possess such weapons in the United Kingdom; what proportion of the total exhibitors and traders were unlicensed; and on what basis they were allowed to continue to participate in the fair.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	I understand from the Metropolitan police that 44 out of some 1,000 exhibitors required certificates of registration as firearms dealers. Of those, 41 needed the authority of the Secretary of State under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 to possess prohibited weapons. Many of the exhibitors were exhibiting items such as boats, vehicles, equipment and clothing for which no licensing was required.
	A total of nine exhibitors arrived without the necessary documentation and arrangements were made for this to be rectified before they were allowed to exhibit any firearms.

Broadband

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will estimate the cost of broadband telecommunications charges to public bodies within the Ribble Valley constituency in 200203; and what plans there are for improving value for money.

Stephen Timms: Estimates of the cost of broadband telecommunications charges to public bodies within the Ribble Valley-constituency in 200203 are not available.
	The Government are improving value for money through the aggregation of public sector demand for broadband connectivity. In the coming month, nine new Regional Aggregation Bodies (RABs) will be set up, one in each of the English regions to join up individual public sector requirements and present them to the market in larger units. They will deliver better value deals and drive up availability by making it more attractive to telecommunications companies to make the capital investment necessary to provide broadband in new areas. Their work will also improve broadband availability for non-public sector users in those areas by encouraging service providers to use the infrastructure to provide broadband services to the public and small businesses.

Community Interest Companies

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the timescale for the introduction of community interest companies.

Jacqui Smith: I announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on 10 July 2003, Official Report, column 62WS, that the Government intend to move ahead with legislation on Community Interest Companies, alongside some company law issues, as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Community Interest Companies

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the introduction of community interest companies as a means for delivering foundation hospitals.

Jacqui Smith: None. Subject to legislation, NHS Foundation Trusts are to be incorporated as public benefit corporations, as set out in the Guide to NHS Foundation Trusts and the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill.

Community Interest Companies

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the contributors to the Government's consultation on community interest companies.

Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on 22 October 2003, Official Report, column 41WS, that a report on the outcome of the consultation on Community Interest Companies has been published. A list of the 134 respondents to the consultation is included at Annex A of the report. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the Houses and on the DTI website.

European Software Patent Directive

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on the European Software Patent Directive.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government's policy remains the same as that announced in 2001 after a public consultation on the patentability of software. The Government's conclusion from that consultation was to reaffirm the principle that patents are for technological innovations. Software should not be patentable where there is no technological innovation, and technological innovations should not cease to be patentable merely because the innovation lies in software. However, the consultation also concluded that business methods should remain unpatentable.
	Subsequently, we have supported the introduction by the European Commission of a draft Directive on the Patentability of Computer-Implemented Inventions, in order to clarify the legal position across the European Union. Discussions on this Directive are on-going and I await the outcome of further discussions between the EU institutions on its progress.

Interpol

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 6 October 2003, Official Report, column 1069W, on Interpol, for what reason her Department does not use Interpol's international weapons and explosives tracking system.

Nigel Griffiths: The DTI does not have responsibility for tracking weapons or explosives.

Manufacturing

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to encourage an increase in the capital per worker ratio in UK manufacturing.

Jacqui Smith: By maintaining a stable macroeconomic environment, together with measures such as reforming capital gains tax, making permanent enhanced capital allowances for small and medium-sized firms, and introducing the Research and Development Tax Credit, we are providing a climate conducive to investment for the long-term in UK manufacturing.
	The global slowdown in 2001 and added uncertainty in 2002 have led firms to postpone investment decisions, but the UK's strong economic fundamentals mean that manufacturers are well placed to benefit when the global recovery shifts up a gear.

Manufacturing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on manufacturing industry.

Jacqui Smith: While we should remain cautious, we may now be at the start of a recovery path, with positive data from the last four Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) surveys and manufacturing output from the Office for National Statistics up by 0.5 per cent. in the three months to August. However, the sector clearly remains under considerable pressure and we are doing all we can to help.
	For example, the Manufacturing Advisory Service has been a real success as a major source of advice and support for small- and medium-sized manufacturers. Since it launched in April 2002, the Manufacturing Advisory Service has handled over 17,000 enquiries from manufacturing companies and has carried out over 3,000 diagnostic and advisory visits. Over 1,000 firms have benefited from in-depth consultancies to help them improve their productivity. The total value added benefit to firms helped by the Manufacturing Advisory Service is over 18 million.

Martu Aborigines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the (a) impact on and (b) cost to UK companies of the reclamation of land in 2002 by the Martu Aborigines of Western Australia; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: None. Since no representations have been made to the Department on this issue.

Oil and Gas Industry

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations the Government have received from (a) the Oil and Gas Industry Liaison Team and (b) other parties concerning the proposed Energy Chapter in the draft European Constitution; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Oil and Gas Industry Liaison Team, in an open letter to the my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 October 2003, set out their view of the implications for the UK oil and gas industry posed by the Energy Chapter of the draft European Constitution. A number of organisations with UK oil and gas interests have also made representations to Ministers. Under the Treaty establishing the European Community, there is already Union activity in energy matters and we believe there is a strong case for making the legal base for policy in this area more transparent. However, the UK Government will only agree to an extension of competence in energy policy if it is consistent with British national interests.

Overseas Visits

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what overseas visits (a) she and (b) her ministerial colleagues plan to make in the next year to promote trade with the United Kingdom.

Patricia Hewitt: Next year's overseas visits programme for Ministers, in support of trade development and policy, has yet to be finalised. All plans will take into account other travel proposals across Government.

Post Office Closures

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many sub-post offices have closed in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency and (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire in (i) each of the last 12 months and (ii) the previous five years.

Stephen Timms: I am advised by Post Office Ltd. that data on post office numbers is not available in the form requested.
	However, I understand that since March 2000 the company has recorded details of post office closures on the basis of Government Region and in the Yorkshire and Humberside Region as a whole, the numbers of net closures were as follows:
	200001: 50
	200102: 21
	200203: 26 (including seven closures under the urban reinvention programme)
	Post Office Ltd. produces information on post office closures on a quarterly basis. There were 19 net closures (including 18 closures under the urban reinvention programme) of post offices in the Yorkshire and Humberside Region to the end of June 2003, the latest quarter for which figures are currently available.

Pottery Products

George Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent meetings she has had with her counterpart in the United States of America to discuss import tariffs on United Kingdom pottery products; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: US tariffs on pottery products are being addressed as part of the ongoing WTO Doha Development Agenda multilateral negotiations on market access for non-agricultural products. In these talks the EU negotiates as one and maintains regular contact with other WTO members including the United States of America.

Printer Cartridges

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to encourage the manufacture of reusable printer cartridges;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (b) the National Assembly for Wales on the consequences of classifying printer cartridges as consumer products for (i) environmental targets and (ii) sustainable development commitments;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the effects the exclusion of printer cartridges under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive will have on (a) the UK and (b) the Welsh re-manufacturing industry.

Stephen Timms: The transposition of the WEEE Directive into UK legislation is being overseen by an inter-departmental team, including officials from all of the Departments concerned and the devolved Administrations.
	The Department has had extensive dialogue with cartridge manufacturers and the UK Cartridge Remanufacturers Association on the scope of the WEEE Directive in relation to printer cartridges, but there is no formal assessment by Government on the effects of inclusion or exclusion on either manufacturers or re-manufacturers.
	My Department continues to welcome the reuse and re-manufacture of printer cartridges, as a useful contribution to sustainable consumption and production, but does not operate a promotional programme specifically aimed at encouraging printer cartridge re-manufacture.

Redundancies

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many redundancies were notified, broken down by nation and region, in each year since 1997; what these figures represent as a percentage of the total work force, broken down by nation and region; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following tables show the available information. The notification requirements apply only where an employer proposes to make redundant 20 or more employees at one establishment. Such notifications should be made 30 days in advance. If an employer proposes to make 100 or more employees redundant at one establishment, the notifications should be 90 days in advance. In addition, there is no information about how many of the proposed redundancies actually take place. The purpose of the advance notifications is to alert trade unions and employment and other support services to likely future job losses. They do not purport to represent a measure of the numbers of redundancies occurring in the economy.
	Table 1 shows the total numbers of proposed redundancies notified. Table 2 shows these numbers as a percentage of the total number of employee jobs in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively. There are no percentages for individual regions of England as the figures for notified proposed redundancies are not compiled on the same regional basis as those for employee jobs.
	
		Table 1: Number of proposed redundancies notified in advance -- Thousand
		
			 Region 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 West Midlands 20.1 27.4 38.4 43.1 52.3 24.7 
			 East Midlands 28.4 31.5 35.1 40.0 54.9 31.0 
			 South West 13.9 22.0 17.5 20.2 41.6 19.2 
			 London and South East 64.2 82.0 101.5 115.7 229.9 94.4 
			 Northern 23.1 21.2 20.0 16.4 24.4 8.5 
			 North West 33.3 36.8 46.3 41.7 71.5 23.8 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 25.6 27.6 29.0 30.3 50.4 18.8 
			 Total for England 208.6 248.5 287.8 307.4 524.9 220.4 
			
			 Scotland 25.7 29 35.4 25.5 54.1 27.6 
			 Wales 9.4 13.6 14.5 15.0 18.0 11.6 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Total employee jobs at December each year -- Thousand
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 England 20,658.9 21,022.9 21,488.9 21,808.2 21,883.5 21,828.7 
			 Scotland 2,121.6 2,161.1 2,171.6 2,232.5 2,281.1 2,257.2 
			 Wales 1,019.3 1,035.2 1,070.6 1,085.4 1,074.8 1,072.6 
		
	
	
		Table 3: As a percentage of total employee jobs
		
			 Region 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 England 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.4 2.4 1.0 
			 Scotland 1.2 1.3 1.6 1.1 2.4 1.2 
			 Wales 0.9 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.7 1.1

Regional Economies

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to strengthen regional economies in the UK.

Jacqui Smith: The Department jointly owns, along with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Treasury, a public service agreement to make sustainable improvements in the economic performance of all English regions and, over the long term, reduce the persistent gap in growth rates between the regions. The joint team taking this work forward has been reviewing the key drivers of economic growth in the regions and the market failures which result in under-performance in some of them, and examining the regional impact of current policies in the three departments and across Government. A coherent and effective package of policy proposals will then be developed to be taken forward as part of the next spending review and beyond.
	In addition, strengthening regional economies and improving the economic performance of the regions forms one of the key areas identified in DTI's five-year strategy, launched in September 2003. Regional thinking will play a bigger role in DTI policy formation, so that national and regional strategies reinforce and complement each other. As part of this, DTI will consider regional impacts throughout its business planning process. The Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) have a pivotal role to play as strategic drivers of regional economic development. Funding for the RDAs under the Single Pot is set to rise: it will be worth 2 billion a year in 200506up from 1.8 billion in 200304.

Shipbuilding/Offshore Industries

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) new starters and (b) people returning to the industry (i) have been trained and (ii) are being trained for the (A) ship building, (B) ship repair and (C) offshore industries under schemes supported by One NorthEast.

Jacqui Smith: Available figures 1 show that, over the last 12 months, 76 new trainees/apprentices joined ship building and offshore companies in the North East of England.
	ONE NorthEast, the Learning and Skills Council, COGENT (the Sector Skills Council for the Oil and Gas Extraction, Chemicals Manufacturing and Petroleum Industries) and SEMTA (the Sector Skills Council for the Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies) are working closely together on skills issues, including the development of a comprehensive Energy Cluster Skills Action Plan covering the offshore, marine, defence and renewables sectors. The Action Plan will identify sector skills gaps and propose solutions on issues including crafts levels, graduate skills and employee retention. An initial draft will be available in the next few weeks.
	1 The figures do not identify whether these places were created under the schemes supported directly by ONE NorthEast. Statistics are not broken down between new starters and those returning to the industry, nor are reliable statistics currently available separately for the ship building, ship repair and offshore industries.

Trade

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the trade relationship between Britain and (a) New Zealand and (b) Australia.

Patricia Hewitt: Britain has a healthy bilateral trade relationship with (a) New Zealand and (b) Australia. From January to July 2003, bilateral trade in goods between the UK and New Zealand was worth 0.55 billion representing a 9 per cent. increase over the same period of last year, and bilateral trade in goods between the UK and Australia was worth 2.3 billion representing a 1.8 per cent. increase over the same period of last year.

Trade

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the Institution for the Multilateral Protection of pan-African Commercial Transactions on UK companies investing in Africa; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: My Department has not made an assessment of the impact of the Institution for the Multilateral Protection of pan-African Commercial Transactions (IMPACT) on direct investment in Africa. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development confirmed that such an assessment would be most appropriately carried out by the World Bank, who provided a US $5 million IDA loan for the establishment of the Africa Trade Insurance Agency (as IMPACT is also known) in 2001, and as such the initiative would be subject to EDA procedures for assessment and review.

Waiapi Indians

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the (a) impact on and (b) cost to UK companies of the 2002 judicial ruling to allow the Waiapi Indians of Amazonia to surface mine in their land; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: None, since no representations have been made to the Department on this issue.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Call Centre Work

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department plans to outsource call centre work to premises outside the United Kingdom.

Alun Michael: The Department has no plans to outsource call centre work to premises outside the UK, nor through OJEU procurement process at present.

Chicken Farming

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what regulations govern the (a) quantity and (b) type of therapeutic and non-therapeutic drugs given to chickens; and if she will make a statement on their use.

Ben Bradshaw: The regulation of medicines given to chickens, and all other animals, is governed by European legislation. Directive 2001/82/EC requires all veterinary medicines, including therapeutic antimicrobials, to be assessed against statutory criteria of safety, quality and efficacy before they are authorised for use. Safety in this context includes the health and welfare of the treated animal, the operator, the environment and the safety of consumers of any food products from the treated animals. All therapeutic antimicrobials are classified as Prescription Only Medicines (POM) and can be administered only on the basis of a prescription issued by a veterinary surgeon. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), an executive agency of Defra, is responsible for the authorisation of therapeutic veterinary medicinal products in the UK.
	The authorisation and use of non-therapeutic products administered to farm animals in their feed is subject to controls set down by the European Union (Council Directive 70/524/EC as amended). Under these rules, such products cannot be authorised for use unless they satisfy statutory criteria designed to ensure that, at the level permitted in feedstuffs, they will not adversely affect human or animal health or the environment. Additionally, they may only be used in accordance with the terms set out in an annex to the Directive, which specifies the species in which they may be used, authorised dosage rates and the withdrawal periods that must be applied before animals can be slaughtered for human consumption. Non-therapeutic products administered to farm animals in their feed are authorised centrally in the EU.

Flooding

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the threshold score will be for securing funding from her Department for sea defence and flood alleviation schemes in the next period for which a threshold is set.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 3 November 2003
	In general, in order to be approved for grant aid, proposed schemes must satisfy the Department's economic, environmental and technical criteria and achieve a minimum threshold priority score which is set annually at around this time for the following financial year. Changes to the threshold do not affect schemes which have already been approved.
	The threshold for projects to start in 200304 is 22 (out of a maximum possible score of 44). The Department is still analysing operating authority returns detailing their funding requirements for 200405 but I hope to be in a position to announce the threshold score for 200405 shortly.

Genetically Modified Crops

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the regulatory framework which will need to be put in place for the introduction of GM crops.

Elliot Morley: There is already a comprehensive regulatory framework for the control of GM crops, with several regulatory approvals being needed before a given crop could be introduced for commercial cultivation.
	Under European Directive 2001/18/EC each particular GM crop must be judged on its own merits according to scientific evidence of any risks it may pose to human health or the environment. A person or company wishing to market such a GM crop must supply a detailed dossier of information and a detailed environmental risk assessment on that GM crop. This information is open to scrutiny by all 15 member states and their expert advisers and the European Commission and its expert advisers, and an EU-wide public consultation must be held. No GM crop may be grown commercially unless and until EU member states have agreed collectively that it is safe.
	In addition, each GM crop will need approval under EU seeds legislation before it can be grown commercially. Also, any GM crop intended for use with a particular herbicide or pesticide will need approval under EU pesticides legislation. And any GM crop intended to be used as a food will need approval under EU novel foods legislation. Furthermore, from spring 2004 all GM crops and any products derived from them will become subject to comprehensive new EU GM traceability and labelling legislation, which significantly extends the provisions for traceability and labelling already required by Directive 2001/18.
	In addition to these regulatory frameworks we will be considering the terms on which GM and non-GM crops might co-exist in the light of a report on this issue expected shortly from the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission.

Genetically Modified Crops

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what published research she has assessed on the (a) persistence and (b) invasiveness of (i) GM herbicide tolerant and (ii) other crops in disturbed habitats where herbicides and fertilisers are used; and what research she has commissioned on this subject.

Elliot Morley: When assessing the potential impact of the release of a GM crop in England the Department is advised by an independent statutory expert body, the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE). In considering each case, ACRE will take account of all available relevant information on the implications of the proposed release.
	A large body of research has been published on the persistence and invasiveness of GM (and non-GM) crops and weeds in disturbed, improved and tilled land. This includes Government-commissioned work and work conducted independently of Government. The body of literature was recently reviewed by the GM Science Review Panel as part of the GM Dialogue, and their final report is available at www.gmsciencedebate.org.uk. Section 6.2 of that report specifically refers to the potential persistence and invasiveness of GM crops. This report has been made available to ACRE.
	Details of all Defra-commissioned GMO related research work are available on our website at www. defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/research. This includes details of completed projects and links to download or order any published reports. Several of these include a consideration of persistence and invasiveness, including:
	'Environmental Risks of Herbicide-Tolerant Oilseed Rape' (March 1999);
	'Investigation of Feral Oilseed Rape Populations' (February 1999);
	'Monitoring largescale releases of genetically modified crops, incorporating report on project EPG 1/5/30: monitoring releases of genetically modified crop plants' (December 2002);
	'Consequences for agriculture of the introduction of GM crops' (October 2003).
	A further project investigating aspects of persistence of oilseed rape is currently underway entitled 'Factors affecting cross-pollination in oilseed rape varieties, particularly of low male fertility, growing under typical UK conditions' and due to be completed in 2006.

Genetically Modified Crops

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research has been (a) commissioned and (b) published about the biochemical implications of introducing genes coding for enzymes under the control of host gene regulation systems; and what the implications are of this in respect of the host GM plant.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 3 November 2003
	The Department has not commissioned research into the biochemical implications of introducing genes coding for enzymes under the control of host regulatory elements because it is not relevant to the risk assessment of current GM crop releases. However, there has been a large volume of research commissioned elsewhere, which would inform decision making if this issue became relevant to proposed releases in the future.
	The biochemical implications of using regulatory elements will vary in each specific case, and where relevant, would be taken into account by our expert advisers alongside other factors. In general, the use of regulatory elements native to plants will result in lower levels of transgene expression than those derived from bacteria and viruses as used in current GM crops (e.g. 35S cauliflower mosaic virus promoter).
	There is a possibility that introducing copies of regulatory elements that are already present in the host plant could result in partial or complete silencing of native genes under the control of these elements. In recent years, there has been a substantial body of high quality research on 'gene silencing', an issue which is addressed in Chapter 3 of the GM Science Review, published in July 2003 (http://www.gmsciencedebate. org.uk/).

Genetically Modified Crops

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research has been (a) commissioned and (b) published about the (i) behaviour and (ii) fate in the environment of toxins used in the production of GM insect resistant crops.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 3 November 2003
	In July 2001 the Department commissioned research into the Environmental Impact of Bt Exudates from Roots of Genetically Modified Plants. We expect it to be published early in the new year on the Defra website. Other publications regarding the issues on the behaviour and fate in the environment of toxins (Bt) used in the production of GM insect resistant crops have been considered recently in the GM Science Review, which was published in July 2003. No GM insect resistant crops have been grown or trialed in the UK apart from two small scale research trials involving potato and strawberry plants in the mid-1990s.

Genetically Modified Crops

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the legal processes relating to the EU directive on the GM contamination threshold for conventional seeds.

Elliot Morley: The European Commission has decided that the appropriate mechanism for establishing statutory thresholds for the adventitious presence of approved GMOs in conventional seeds would be as follows:
	1. The thresholds would be set, by species, in the Regulatory Committee established under the Directive on the deliberate release into the environment ofGMOs(2001/18/EC);
	2. These same thresholds would then be inserted into the seeds marketing Directives by agreement in the Standing Committee on Seeds.

Fish Stocks (Irish Box)

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many square miles of water off the Irish coast have been opened up to European fishing fleets as a result of removal of restrictions relating to the Irish box; and what steps are being taken to protect fish stocks in this area.

Ben Bradshaw: The Irish Box, part of Western Waters, was established by Council Regulation (EC) No 685/95. It comprises the area to the west of Great Britain south of latitude 56 30o North, east of longitude 12 West and north of latitude 50 30o North and includes some some sixty to sixty five thousand square miles of water in parts of ICES Sub Areas VI and VII. Effort ceilings for Community vessels over 18 metres operating in specified fisheries within Western Waters, including the constituent parts of the Irish Box, were subsequently set by Council Regulation (EC) No 2027/95. Under new measures agreed by the Council of Ministers on 13 October 2003, to take effect no later than 1 August 2004, separate effort ceilings will no longer operate for the Irish Box other than for a smaller management area off the south west coast of Ireland designed to protect juvenile hake stocks. Future fishing effort by vessels over 15 metres in the Irish Box will fall to be contained within new effort ceilings to be established for the totality of Areas VI and VII on the basis of actual fishing effort in those areas between 1998 and 2002. In addition a statement added to the minutes of the 13 October Council states that in this and other areas where vessels have previously been excluded the Commission and Member States concerned shall carefully monitor fishing activities in order to ensure that such activities are consistent with the measures already in place for the conservation of fisheries resources.

Live Sheep Exports

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many live sheep were exported from Dover to Europe on 18 September; when and where health certification was carried out in respect of the sheep; how many of the sheep were rejected as unfit for the intended journey (a) during inspection for health certification purposes and (b) at Dover docks, and to where those sheep were taken; and what the address was of the final destination given on the route plan for each of the consignments.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is requested is as follows:
	
		
			  
		
		
			 Date 18 September 1993 
			 Total animals 2,615 
			 Where consignments were certified England and Scotland 
			 Animals rejected at certification 0 
			 Animals rejected at Dover docks 0 
			 Destination France 
		
	
	The sheep for the consignment above were certified within 24 hours prior to export. There were no rejected animals either during health certification or at Dover docks. The consignment was of sheep for further fattening which were transported to holdings in France.

Livestock Markets

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with representatives from (a) the Meat and Livestock Commission, (b) local authorities and (c) the livestock industry about the (i) extent and (ii) impact of livestock market closures.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 3 November 2003
	In consultation with its stakeholders the Department keeps the network of livestock auction markets throughout the country under review. This includes the extent and impact of closures in view of the importance of these enterprises in the rural economy.

Meat Inspections

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with (a) EU representatives, (b) the Food Standards Agency and (c) the Scottish Executive on the impact of proposals on animal welfare from the European Commission to replace independent meat inspection with inspection by the meat industry.

Ben Bradshaw: Defra officials continue to liaise with the European Commission, other Government Departments and the Devolved Administrations on issues relating to primary production and animal welfare and the proposed Food Hygiene Regulations.

Radioactive Waste

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to receive the detailed proposals for better controls on intermediate level radioactive waste conditioning and storage as reported in the Government's First Progress Report to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on Managing Radioactive Waste Safely.

Elliot Morley: Advice from the regulators is expected shortly.

Restaurants (Local Produce)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to encourage restaurants to use local produce.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 27 October 2003
	As part of the Department's Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food, we have agreed a programme of measures aimed at helping find new outlets (including restaurants) for locally produced food and drink. Implementation of the programme is being led by Food from Britain in England with the help of additional funding from this Department and includes:
	regional food exhibitions and meet the buyer events with the specific objective of targeting caterers and chefs;
	organising a series of seminars this year aimed at raising the profile of locally produced food and drink with catering college students;
	producing, with Visit Britain, an in-depth trade guide aimed at helping producers understand the opportunities presented by the public's growing enthusiasm for locally produced food and drink when eating out; and
	supporting a new guide, to be launched later this year, which highlights those restaurants and hotels providing the best locally produced food and drink.

US Ships (Disposal)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with her US counterpart about importation for dismantling purposes of the ships from the US Reserve Fleet which have set sail for the United Kingdom.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 20 October 2003
	None. However, there is on-going contact between officials in the relevant regulatory authorities, both here and in the US, and they are working to ensure that potential risks to the environment, during the transport and recycling phases, are thoroughly assessed.

Wild Birds

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in increasing the number of (a) finches, (b) tits and (c) buntings in the wild.

Ben Bradshaw: The Marsh tit, Willow tit, Linnet, Bullfinch, Yellowhammer, Cirl bunting, Reed bunting and Corn bunting are red-listed in the 2002 birds of conservation concern listings. The Lesser redpoll is amber listed. The Long tailed tit, Coal tit, Blue tit, Great tit, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch are green listed. The colour listing relates to their conservation status, with red representing the steepest decline in numbers. (Gregory et al. 2002: British Birds 1995).
	The National Woodland Bird Survey gathers information about the probable causes of change in woodland bird populations and is the first step in identifying possible new approaches to management of woodlands for songbirds; it was initiated in spring 2003 and is organised by the British Trust for Ornithology and the RSPB and funded by Governmental and non governmental bodies. To date, no general national management scheme has been initiated to recover woodland bird populations, although some local management changes brought about through managing both national forests and designated sites may have benefited woodland species. Recent increases in some woodland species are likely to be due to largely natural factors.
	As part of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, species action plans for the conservation and enhancement of the cirl bunting, corn bunting, reed bunting and bullfinch were published in 1998. Implementation of the plans is being taken forward through partnerships including government, the agencies and NGOs. The plans identify a wide variety of measures that are being pursued to help improve the status of the species.
	Some of the work has been very specific, for example for the cirl bunting there have been special management options made available to farmers. For some of the other species, in addition to some specific measures, general changes to agri-environment schemes to benefit farmland birds have been put in place.
	The yellowhammer is a new addition to the birds of conservation concern red-list and as such does not have a formal Species Action Plan. It is, however, one of the core 20 farmland bird species that are included in the government's Farmland Bird Indicator and as such will benefit from actions being taken to improve general farmland habitat management. Defra has recently piloted a new Entry Level agri-environment scheme in England which relies on much simpler management options to benefit widespread farmland habitatsthe advantage with this, if it is implemented, will be that it could cover a much greater area of farmland than under current schemes and so ultimately have much greater benefits for farmland birds.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Iraq

Robert Marshall-Andrews: To ask the Solicitor-General whether, in concluding that Iraq had failed to comply with UN Resolution 1441, the Attorney-General relied upon facts and assertions contained in Cm 5769 as material to his conclusion and to the opinion he gave as to the authority to use force; and which such facts and assertions were so relied upon.

Harriet Harman: In reaching his view of the legal basis for the use of force against Iraq, as set out in the written statement made in Parliament on 17 March 2003, the Attorney-General had regard to the terms of all the Security Council resolutions set out in Cm 5769. In addition, in concluding that Iraq had failed to comply with its obligations under Security Council resolution 1441, the Attorney-General took into account the statements by the Executive Chairman of UMOVIC and the Director General of the IAEA dated 27 January 2003 and 14 February 2003.

Sickness Absence

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General how many staff in the Department were on long-term sick leave in each of the last five years.

Harriet Harman: pursuant to her answer of 9 June 2003, Official Report, c. 574W
	The figures I provided on the numbers of staff within the Crown Prosecution Service who have had periods of long-term sick leave in each of the last five years were unfortunately incorrect. Long-Term is defined as being a continuous spell of sick absences lasting four weeks or more. Further analysis of the data has revealed it included persons who had more than one period of sickness which cumulatively added up to 20 days or more. The corrected figures are:
	
		
			  Number of people Total number of employees Percentage of employees 
		
		
			 1998 312 6,274 5.0 
			 1999 523 6,360 8.2 
			 2000 650 6,440 10.1 
			 2001 674 6,613 10.2 
			 2002 698 7,219 9.7

Sickness Absence

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General pursuant to her answer of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 574W, on sickness absence, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the rise in the level of long-term sick leave from the Crown Prosecution Service since 1998.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer above. The Crown Prosecution Service has not carried out any detailed analysis of the reasons for the rise in the level of long-term sick absence since 1998. However, there continues to be a programme to reduce the overall level of sick absence in line with Government targets for the Civil Service as a whole. The Crown Prosecution Service is actively managing sick absence in line with the Cabinet office's initiative and the figures given in my answer above indicate a reduction in long-term sick absence from 2001 to 2002. The present figures for sick absence in the Crown Prosecution Service are broadly similar to Civil Service figures. The latest Cabinet Office figures show 9.7 per cent. of Civil Service staff had periods of absences lasting 21 days or more.

WALES

Departmental Expenditure (Official Residences)

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much the Department spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential properties used by Ministers and officials in each year since 1997.

Don Touhig: The Wales Office was established in 1999. It is not responsible for maintenance, renovation, council tax or running costs of any residential properties.

Departmental Offices

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many offices are (a) owned and (b) rented by his Department in countries other than the UK, broken down by country.

Don Touhig: The Wales Office does not own or rent any accommodation outside the UK.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcohol Misuse

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Answer of 15 July 2003, Official Report, column 221W, on alcoholism, when the report on the cross-governmental alcohol harm reduction strategy for England will be published.

Hazel Blears: On 19 September the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit published their Interim Analytical Report on the harms associated with alcohol misuse. This will help inform the development of the cross-governmental alcohol harm reduction strategy for England. The final report setting out the Strategy will be published in time for implementation to begin in 2004.

Administrative Court

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases are waiting to be dealt with by the Administrative Court which relate to section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply. 
	882 cases are awaiting final determination.

National Criminal Intelligence Service

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff of the National Criminal Intelligence Service have the monitoring of allegations of bribery of foreign public officials as part of their job description; what percentage of time they are recommended as part of their job description to give to such monitoring; and in which department of NCIS they are based.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 27 October 2003, Official Report, column 115W.

National Criminal Intelligence Service

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many allegations of corruption the National Criminal Intelligence Service has received since (a) 14 February 2002 and (b) January 2003 following the Memorandum of Understanding on Implementing Part 12 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001; how many of these allegations have resulted in investigations; and what subsequent arrests have been made under Part 12 of the Act.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 27 October 2003, Official Report, column 115W.

Breast Cancer Relief

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps the Charity Commission has taken to ensure that internet donations to Breast Cancer Relief are not misapplied;
	(2)  what assessment the Charity Commission has made of the role of Breacan Fundraising as owner of the website operated for Breast Cancer Relief;
	(3)  what assessment the Charity Commission has made of the volume of donations made to Breast Cancer Relief via its website since the charity was placed in the control of a receiver manager;
	(4)  what action the Charity Commission took, and when, to alert WorldPay to the appointment of a receiver manager for Breast Cancer Relief.

Fiona Mactaggart: These are matters for the Charity Commission as the non-ministerial Government Department responsible for the registration of charities in England and Wales. The Director of Operations will write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Community Support Officers

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Community Support Officers are deployed in each local authority area in Sussex.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 28 October 2003
	In total 65 Community Support Officers (CSOs) have been deployed in Sussex. Of these, 55 are wholly or partly funded by the Home Office. 10 of the 20 CSOs deployed in Brighton and Hove are wholly locally funded. The table gives a breakdown of CSO deployment by local authority.
	
		
			 Local authority Number of CSOs 
		
		
			 Adur 3 
			 Arun 5 
			 Chichester 3 
			 Worthing 4 
			 Rother 3 
			 Hastings 6 
			 Lewes 4 
			 Wealden 2 
			 Eastbourne 5 
			 Brighton and Hove 20 
			 Horsham 3 
			 Crawley 4 
			 Mid Sussex 3 
			 Total 65

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Walsall, North 
	(1)  will receive a reply to his letter of 24 July 2003 regarding a constituent, ref: M3906/3;
	(2)  will receive a reply to his letter of 24 July regarding pay negotiations in the Probation Service, reference: M3906/3; and what the reasons are for the delay.

Paul Goggins: holding answers 11 September 2003 and 20 October 2003
	The information requested is as follows:
	We have received numerous letters from Members of Parliament and their constituents, querying the delay in the settlement of this year's pay negotiations for the National Probation Service.
	I have replied to my hon. Friend on 4 November 2003 and I apologise for this unacceptable delay.
	A pay offer was made to the Trade Unions on 22 July and has been accepted following ballots of members.

Crime (North-West)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the recorded crime figures were for the north-west in each year since 1992.

Hazel Blears: The requested information is given in the table. The north-west region is comprised of the following police force areas: Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside.
	
		Total number of crimes recorded by the police for the north west region
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1992 801,832 
			 1993 765,664 
			 1994 719,653 
			 1995 720,732 
			 1996 702,372 
			 1997 649,310 
			 199899 726,730 
			 19992000 736,381 
			 200001 720,055 
			 200102 777,809 
			 200203 795,024 
		
	
	Note:
	Up to 1997, offences were recorded on a calendar year basis, and on a financial year basis thereafter.
	There was a change of counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, which had the effect of increasing the number of crimes counted. Numbers of offences for years before and after this date are therefore not directly comparable.
	The National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) was introduced across England and Wales in April 2002. Some police forces adopted the Standard prior to this date. Cheshire and Merseyside police forces introduced the Standard in April 2002, Greater Manchester in January 2002, Cumbria in April 2001, and Lancashire in August 2000. Broadly, the NCRS had the effect of increasing the number of crimes recorded by the police. Therefore, following the introduction of the Standard, numbers of recorded crimes are not comparable with previous years.

Ministerial Travel

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was to his Department for (a) ministerial cars and drivers, (b) taxis, (c) train travel, (d) the use of helicopters, (e) airline tickets and (f) chartered aeroplanes in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: Information on the costs of categories (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (f) chartered planes, in respect of ministerial travel, is being provided centrally by the Cabinet Office in a parallel question.
	With regard to the departmental cost of taxi, train and air travel since 1997, the detailed information requested is not held centrally within the Home Office and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. All official travel undertaken by Home Office employees is in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Ministerial Travel

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) foreign and (b) UK visits he has made since 1 April; with the cost to public funds of each; whom he met; and the gifts received.

David Blunkett: The Government publishes an annual list of gifts received by Ministers valued at more than 140. The information for 200304 will be published after the end of the financial year.
	The Government also publishes on an annual basis the cost and details of all Ministers' visits overseas. The information for 200304 will be published after the end of the financial year.
	Detailed information for all Ministers in respect of UK travel is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All travel is undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are in the Library.

Entitlement Cards

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Southwark, North and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) of 7 April 2003, Official Report, column 36W, on entitlement cards, when the summary of responses to the consultation on entitlement cards will be published.

Beverley Hughes: We would prefer to publish the summary of responses to the consultation alongside an announcement of how the Government intends to proceed. This is currently being considered by Ministers.

Ministerial Allowances

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there is a ministerial allowance for mobile phone costs.

Fiona Mactaggart: There is no ministerial allowance for mobile phone costs. Ministers have access to mobile phones for ministerial duties should they require them.

Ministerial Allowances

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the financial allowances that Home Office Ministers are allotted; and how much each Home Office Minister has spent of their allowance so far this financial year.

Fiona Mactaggart: Ministers are not allotted financial allowances.

People Trafficking

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the number of (a) women and (b) children being trafficked into (i) the UK and (ii) Leicestershire through the illegal sex industry in the last 24 months.

Caroline Flint: The nature of trafficking means that it is a hidden crime. The only available estimates of the levels of trafficking are based on a Home Office research study 'Stopping Traffic' (Police Research Series 125, published in 2000), which indicated that there was intelligence to suggest that some women and children are trafficked into the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation. This was estimated at between 140 and 1,400 per year but it was impossible to make a more accurate assessment of numbers. The report concluded that there was no evidence to suggest that this was on a large scale compared with other European countries.
	However, the very nature of the crime demands that it is treated very seriously, which is why the Government have introduced criminal sanctions covering traffickers and has tasked the Reflex group with coordinating the response to this problem. Leicestershire Constabulary are engaged with Reflex in building up intelligence and multi-agency working to tackle trafficking at a regional and national level. Reflex is sponsoring a major Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) conference on 13 November on this issue.
	The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act received Royal Assent in November last year, and sections 145 and 146 of it came into force on 10 February 2003. Data on numbers of prosecutions under these sections will be collected in the usual way and published in Home Office Criminal Statistics. Given that the powers came into effect recently there is not any information yet held centrally about numbers of prosecutions.

Local Policing (New Earswick)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the experiment in local policing at New Earswick; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Any assessment of the local policing experiment in New Earswick is for the Chief Constable of North Yorkshire to make. Nonetheless, the Government encourages the principle of local people's involvement and participation in delivering police services for their communities.
	The Government published on 4 November a consultation document on police reform, which seeks views on involving communities in shaping and delivering their policing services.

Police Force (Racial Discrimination)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he intends to take in relation to racial discrimination in the police force.

Hazel Blears: I am committed to driving out racist attitudes wherever they are found. We are engaged with the leadership of the Police Service in addressing diversity and racism in recruitment, training and development and in the conduct of officers and staff. I welcome the service's determination to confront racism, as evidenced by Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO's) seven point programme. I welcome too the Commission for Racial Equality's investigation announced on 30 October and their wish to work consultatively with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
	We have developed new selection processes which test candidates' attitudes towards race and diversity vigorously through interviews, role play and written assessment. These processes are already in place in 13 forces and will be implemented in the remainder of the service by summer 2004. Those candidates who do not meet the standard are not recruited, regardless of performance elsewhere in the assessments.
	Fundamental changes to the way in which probationer constables are trained are under way. The focus will be in delivery of practice-based training within the local community rather than in residential police training centres. This new approach is already being piloted in several areas of the country. A new curriculum is being designed which will reinforce high professional standards and respect for race and diversity. Engagement with the community will be a key element in the new programme. The training of trainers and tutor constables in race and diversity awareness will also be addressed. The new programme will start to be trialled from April 2004.
	A review of the delivery of Community and Race Relations training in the Police Service was published by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in March 2003 and the recommendations of that report are being taken forward. The strategy for the next phase of the training will call for leadership at all levels to drive cultural change.
	There are procedures under the Police Act 1996 and the Police (Misconduct) Regulations 1999 to deal with conduct which falls below the required standard. These procedures can be invoked by way of a complaint from a member of the public or a report or allegation from any other person. This includes any complaint or allegation of racial discrimination or attitudes. The Police Reform Act 2002 introduces a new complaints system to come into force on 1 April 2004, under which serious racial discrimination is a category of a complaint that must be referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which will decide how such a complaint will be dealt with.
	It is important that attitudes within the service change and that staff themselves are confident to bring forward evidence of racism. I do not wish to rely on revelations by the media but on proper investigation, analysis and decisive action by senior officers when they are made aware of such evidence.

Police Pay

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) hourly wage for a newly qualified police officer, (b) the average hourly wage for serving police officers and (c) the hourly wage of newly qualified police officers for overtime work are; and how much money was spent by police forces in employing police officers on overtime in each of the last three years.

Hazel Blears: The information is as follows.
	(a) Police officers are not paid an hourly wage, instead they receive an annual salary. Upon completion of initial training, an officer will receive 21,462 per year.
	(b) Figures are not available for the average hourly wage for serving police officers. The average length of service for constables is 11 years. A constable with 11 years service receives 29,589 per year.
	The figures do not include any regional allowances which may be payable.
	(c) Overtime is payable at the rate of one twenty-fourth of a day's pay for each completed period of 15 minutes of overtime worked.
	Figures for the amount spent on overtime in the police service are currently only available centrally for 200102 with a total United Kingdom spend of 400,392,000. This was made up of 319,620,000 for England and Wales, 26,097,000 for Scotland and 54,675,000 for Northern Ireland.
	Details of overtime payments for other years have not been aggregated.

Prison Population

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimates are of the (a) uncrowded and (b) maximum capacity of prisons in England and Wales and of the average daily prison population for each of the next five years.

Paul Goggins: As at 17 October 2003, the certified normal accommodation (uncrowded) for the prison estate in England and Wales was 66,738 and the useable operational capacity was 74,775. Average projections for the next five years are set out in the following table.
	Average daily figures for prison population projections are not available.
	
		Capacity projections forecast 200308
		
			  Uncrowded Usable operational capacity 
		
		
			 2003 65,900 74,200 
			 2004 67,500 75,800 
			 2005 69,800 78,200 
			 2006 70,400 78,750 
			 2007 70,400 78,700 
			 2008 70,400 78,700

Proceeds of Crime Act

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the value of criminal funds seized since the introduction of the Proceeds of Crime Act has been in (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK.

Caroline Flint: Information is available for the United Kingdom only.
	The confiscation powers in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 are triggered by offences committed after the provisions were brought into force on 24 March 2003, so it will be some time before cases are dealt with by the Crown Court in numbers. As of 16 October, nine confiscation orders with a total value of 89,000 had been made against convicted offenders in England and Wales; these orders have yet to be enforced. No confiscation orders under the new legislation have been made in Scotland. The total amount of cash seized by police and customs officers under new powers in the Act which came into effect on 30 December 2002 is 41 million in England, Wales and Scotland. In addition, the Assets Recovery Agency has obtained freezing orders on assets with a total value of over 10 million on 16 cases which are under investigation under the new powers in the Act for civil recovery of criminal assets.

Road Deaths

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deaths there have been because of (a) dangerous driving, (b) driving under the influence of illegal drugs and (c) driving under the influence of alcohol in (i) Southend-on-Sea and (ii) Essex in each year since 2001.

Caroline Flint: The requested information has not been published and is therefore not available centrally. Recorded crime figures for Southend are collected at Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP), and Basic Command Unit (BCD) level. At CDRP and BCD level, figures are published for six key offences only, which are violence against the person, sexual offences, robbery, burglary in a dwelling, theft of a motor vehicle, and theft from a vehicle.

Sani Abacha

Tony Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons he has not responded to requests for documentation sought by the Nigerian Government in connection with funds believed to have been stolen from the country by the late Sani Abacha; and what steps the Government are taking to assist Nigeria in repatriating these funds.

Caroline Flint: We are still awaiting receipt of information from the Federal Government of Nigeria, requested a year ago that will permit me to make a fully informed decision on transmission of the requested evidence to them. There are court orders that have been issued in Nigeria, which have the apparent effect of precluding the Nigerian authorities from pursuing the mutual legal assistance requests it has issued. We are awaiting confirmation from the Federal Government of Nigeria that those court orders have been lifted or overturned on appeal by them. The Federal Government of Nigeria has confirmed through their solicitors in the United Kingdom that although they contest the validity of those judgments, they would comply with them so long as they remained in force.
	In the light of a previous judicial review, it has been made clear that to attempt to transmit the evidence when such court orders were apparently outstanding would leave my discretionary decision liable to being overturned on judicial review. Equally, it would serve no purpose to transmit evidence to Federal Government of Nigeria that they may not be able to use in their criminal proceedings. We prefer to await the outcome of those proceedings before transmitting the requested evidence. We are also not in a position to repatriate any funds that may be in the United Kingdom until the outstanding matters have been addressed by them. We have not been asked to enforce Nigerian confiscation orders in this case.

Stop and Search (London)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stop and searches have been carried out during each of the last three years under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in London; what the charges of those arrested were; and how many have resulted in successful prosecutions.

David Blunkett: Figures on stops and searches under section 44(1) and section 44(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 are published annually in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin. The latest published figures are for the financial year 200102 and show that in the Metropolitan police district, 3,598 stops and searches were carried out under section 44(1) resulting in 63 arrests. 473 stops and searches were carried out under section 44(2), resulting in 11 arrests.
	For the same period in the City of London police district, 3,409 stops and searches were carried out under Section 44(1) resulting in 92 arrests. 86 stops and searches were carried out under section 44(2), resulting in 8 arrests.
	Figures for 200203 are due to be published later this year. Figures for 20032004 will be published when the relevant data has been collated and verified.
	The data collected on stops and searches made under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 is not automatically cross-referenced with subsequent charges or prosecutions, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Young Offenders

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to combat youth offending; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: On 8 September we published Youth JusticeThe Next Steps, consulting on how to take further our youth justice reform programme for England and Wales. A copy has been placed in the Library. The document sets out changes we would like to make over the next few years in the way young offenders are dealt with. It includes proposals to:
	Strengthen parenting interventions
	Improve understanding of trials and trial preparation
	Manage juvenile remandees better in the community
	Establish a simpler sentencing structure with more flexible interventions
	Provide intensive supervision and surveillance as the main response to repeat and serious offending while still having custody available
	Introduce a more graduated progression between secure, open and community facilities
	Improve youth justice skills and organisation; and
	Invites views on how pre-court interventions can be developed further.
	Consultation ends on 1 December and we encourage anyone with an interest in these issues to let us have their views on whether the proposals represent the best way
	forward.
	These proposals complement the wide programme of work put forward in Every Child Matters, published on the same date by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. This consults in particular on how to help children achieve their full potential and how to tackle the risks of adverse outcomes including offending which some face in their early lives. The paper consults on ways to strengthen the work of the services which deal with children.

Young Offenders

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police authority and (b) Crown Prosecution Service region fast tracking cases involved persistent youth offenders in the last year for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: Figures on the time taken from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders are collected by Criminal Justice Area. Nationally, the number of persistent young offender cases dealt with over the last year for which figures are available, was:
	
		
			  Persistent young offender cases 
		
		
			 2002  
			 August 2,065 
			 September 2,041 
			 October 2,341 
			 November 2,120 
			 December 1,675 
			 2003  
			 January 2,316 
			 February 2,164 
			 March 2,123 
			 April 2,144 
			 May 2,109 
			 June 2,111 
			 July 2,503 
			 Total 25,712

NORTHERN IRELAND

Asbestos

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 24 June 2003, Official Report, column 707W, on asbestos, if he will list the buildings which have been identified as containing asbestos.

Ian Pearson: Two schedules, one of which lists those buildings within the Northern Ireland Civil Service office estate that contain asbestos, and one of which lists the specialist buildings owned by NICS departments that contain asbestos, will be placed in the Library.

Concessionary Fares

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland hold a Translink senior smart pass issued under the Northern Ireland Concessionary Fares scheme.

John Spellar: Translink report that, up to 30 October 2003, 166,345 Senior smart passes have been issued under the Northern Ireland Concessionary Fares scheme.

Driving Licences

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland hold a driving licence.

Angela Smith: Figures at 31 October 2003 show that 1,191,574 people in Northern Ireland hold a valid driving licence.

Electoral Identity Cards

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been issued with an electoral identity card in each of the parliamentary constituencies.

John Spellar: The number of cards issued at 31 October 2003 in each of the 18 Northern Ireland constituencies is as follows:
	
		
			 Constituency Number of cards issued 
		
		
			 Foyle 7,093 
			 East Londonderry 4,338 
			 North Antrim 5,091 
			 East Antrim 3,299 
			 Mid-Ulster 4,465 
			 West Tyrone 5,376 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 5,380 
			 Upper Bann 3,974 
			 Newry and Armagh 4,038 
			 South Down 4,326 
			 Lagan Valley 4,208 
			 Strangford 3,865 
			 South Antrim 3,590 
			 North Down 2,929 
			 Belfast, East 3,700 
			 Belfast, South 3,453 
			 Belfast, West 6,339 
			 Belfast, North 5,789 
			 Total 81,253

Passports

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland hold (a) a British and (b) an Irish passport.

Paul Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department has advised me that records are not kept on the numbers of British passports issued in a particular region of the United Kingdom.
	Irish passports are the responsibility of the Irish Government.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adult and Community Learning Fund

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the future of the Adult and Community Learning Fund.

Ivan Lewis: I have decided to transfer the available budget to the Learning and Skills Council from April 2004. The money will be used to support the LSC's Widening Participation Strategy, meet our Skills Strategy commitment to build on the experience of the ACLF, and complement the LSC's strategy for working with the voluntary and community sectors. The decision has the support of NIACE and the LSC.

Asian Language Teaching

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to include Asian languages as part of modern language education at primary level.

Stephen Twigg: The National Languages Strategy, Languages for All: Languages for Life, published in December 2002, sets out the Government's commitment that all pupils throughout Key Stage 2 will have the entitlement to learn a language at least in part in class time by the end of this decade. That entitlement must comprise one of the working languages of the European Union. Schools are able to take local decisions about which languages they will offer, and whether or not they wish to teach a community language alongside the teaching of a European language. If a school wishes to teach additional languages, including Asian languages, they are free to do so.
	By September 2005, specimen materials for three initial stages of the developing National Recognition System, which will endorse language competence, will be available in a number of languages including Urdu and Punjabi. By 2006, similar materials will also be available in Bengali, Gujarati and Hindi. All of these materials will support the initial stages of language learning, including learning undertaken by young people.

Condover Hall School

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the range of disabilities of children at Condover Hall School;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the average funding per pupil at Condover Hall School in the last year for which figures are available;.
	(3)  if he will publish the correspondence between his Department and the Royal National Institute for the Blind on the closure of Condover Hall School.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 30 October
	We understand that Condover Hall School makes provision for pupils who are visually impaired with multiple and complex needs. Some children are non-ambulant. The School also makes specialist provision for deaf-blind pupils.
	As a non-maintained special school, local education authorities placing children at Condover Hall negotiate with the school about the fees to be paid for each child. Fee levels vary depending on the complexity of the child's needs and the type of placement, for example, day placement, weekly boarding, 38 week or in some cases 52 week boarding. Average funding per pupil varies between around 30,000 p.a. and 100,000 p.a. depending on the type of placement. In the current financial year Condover Hall received around 70,000 in grants from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), designed to raise standards.
	My Department was formally notified by the RNIB about the proposed closure of Condover Hall in a letter dated 24 July this year. As my hon. Friend the Minister for School Standards said in his reply to the hon. Gentleman's earlier questions about Condover Hall School, officials at the DfES have asked the RNIB to clarify its plans for the closure of Condover Hall, and in particular to explain how the RNIB intends to ensure that appropriate and realistic plans for the placement of children currently attending the school are in place. They are currently awaiting a response. Copies of the relevant correspondence have been forwarded to the hon. Member.

Education (16-year-olds)

George Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of 16-year-olds stayed in full-time education and training in Stoke-on-Trent local education authority in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: The percentage of 16-year-olds participating in full-time education, and in education and training in Stoke-on-Trent local education authority for end 1997 to end 2000, the latest available year, are shown in the table.
	
		Participation in education and training by 16-year-olds inStoke-on-Trent LEA
		
			  End 1997 End 1998 End 1999 End 2000 
		
		
			 Full-time education(6) 49 52 58 60 
			 Education and training (7)n/a 68 73 78 
		
	
	(6) Includes participation in full-time education, part-time education and government supported training.
	(7) Education and training figures by LEA were first published for 1998.
	Note:
	Population data do not include any revisions following the 2001 census.
	Source:
	DfES Statistical Bulletin, published 16 December 2002.
	Participation rates by LEA for 16-year-olds are published in an annual statistical bulletin, 'Participation in Education and Training by Young People Aged 16 and 17 in Each Local Area and Region, England'.

Educational Maintenance Allowance

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he decided to set the maximum educational maintenance allowance at 30 per week; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Decisions about the various elements of the national scheme were taken in June 2003, including the maximum weekly payment. This has drawn on evidence from the pilot scheme. This information was then disseminated to local partners and schools and colleges in the form of a general leaflet; copies of this were also placed in the House of Commons Library.

Educational Maintenance Allowance

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will estimate the cost of the national introduction of educational maintenance allowances in (a) 200405, (b) 200506 and (c) 200607 if the upper limit is set at (i) 30 per week and (ii) 40 per week.

Ivan Lewis: The EMA pilot has been extensively evaluated, including those variants testing different maximum payments. We have drawn from the evidence to develop what I believe will be the most effective model for the national EMA scheme. Evidence indicated that an upper limit of 40 per week was no more effective at increasing participation than the maximum of 30 per week. We have, however, been able to raise the lower threshold for receiving the maximum payment to 19,000 compared to 13,000 in the pilot scheme.
	The estimated cost of the scheme for each of the three years is:
	
		
			  Cost ( million) Estimated number of young people on EMA  
		
		
			 200405 238 274,000 
			 200506 374 390,000 
			 200607 462 439,000

Educational Maintenance Allowance

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action he is planning to promote the take-up of educational maintenance allowances; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Plans to promote the take up of the national EMA scheme focus on three main phases of promotional activity, which are:
	February 2004a helpline opens for young people and their parents, along with an interactive website and a main promotion launch.
	April/May 2004second phase of the main promotional activity to raise awareness to coincide with the application packs being made available from April.
	August/September 2004third phase of main promotional activity to coincide with GCSE results and enrolment in further education.
	Some promotional activity is already under way to raise awareness in the form of: a general EMA leaflet for local partners and schools and colleges, a leaflet specifically for young people, information in careers materials and a series of regional conferences.

Financial Literacy

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he will take to increase the level of financial literacy.

David Miliband: Some aspects of financial literacy are covered within the new Citizenship curriculum, which is already compulsory in secondary schools. For example, 14 to 16-year-old pupils should be taught about how the economy functions, including the role of business and financial services. The non-statutory framework for Personal, Social and Health Education, provides for personal finance education to be taught to all age groups, allowing teachers to cover the wide range of topics as set out in the Department's Financial Capability through Personal Financial Education guidance for schools.
	From 2005/6 a new 60 million Enterprise Education entitlement will provide all Key Stage 4 pupils with the equivalent of five days' enterprise activity which will develop enterprise capabilityincluding personal financial capability as well as business understanding. 151 Pathfinder projects in nearly 400 secondary schools were approved for September 2003 start. They will help DfES to develop additional guidance including case studies and lesson plans related to financial literacy, including advice from the Financial Services Authority and financial institutions.

Free School Milk

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what measures he will take with local authorities to ensure that all children under the age of 11 receive free school milk;
	(2)  what measures he will take to encourage education authorities to use the EU subsidy for provision of school milk;
	(3)  what financial support he will give to (a) education authorities and (b) schools to provide free school milk for all those aged 11 and under;
	(4)  what discussions he has had with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regarding (a) the provision of free school milk and (b) the provision of free school milk to all those aged 11 and under.

Stephen Twigg: This Department supports the provision of free and paid for milk in maintained schools and encourages schools and local education authorities to offer it to pupils. In addition, our guidance on school lunches includes a strong recommendation that drinking milk is made available to all pupils as an option every day. Following a 20 per cent. reduction in the EU subsidy on school milk from January 2001, this Department agreed jointly with the Department of Health and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to top up the annual 1.5 million shortfall. This assistance helps prevent increases in the cost of providing school milk.

Key Stage 3 Strategy

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what evaluation of the Key Stage 3 strategy has taken place that compares schools in the original pilot with a similar range of schools outside the pilot; and what the result was.

David Miliband: Final school-level Key Stage 3 data will become available later this year when school performance tables are published. We will then be undertaking an analysis comparing the performance of schools which participated in the Key Stage 3 pilots and other schools in similar circumstances. I will write to the hon. Member to inform him of the outcome of this analysis in the New Year.

Local Education Authority Expenditure

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average (a) primary and (b) secondary formula spending share per pupil will be in each local education authority in England and Wales for (i) 200405 and (ii) subsequent years.

David Miliband: Figures for 200405 will not be available until we have announced the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement in mid-November: figures for future years will become available at the time of the Settlement for each year. The system in Wales is different and is the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly.

Parliamentary Questions

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will answer the questions, references (a) 129889 and (b) 129891, tabled by the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham on 10 September 2003.

Stephen Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education on 3 November 2003, Official Report, columns 449W and 455W.

School Funding

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average per pupil funding for (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special schools was in each Excellence in Cities area for (i) 200203 and (ii) 200304.

David Miliband: holding answer 21 October 2003
	The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

School Funding

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  whether his pledge of increased school funding is related to a baseline that involves excluding (a) capital funding used for revenue purposes, (b) balances used to permit higher revenue spending, (c) staff reductions, redundancies or non-appointments made to reduce revenue spending and (d) funding incorporated into school mainstream budgets in 200203 that in previous years was made by way of special grants;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the base used to calculate each school's 4 per cent. increase in funding.

David Miliband: The proposed baseline for the per pupil minimum funding guarantee is an adjusted version of a school's budget share for the financial year 200304. It therefore does not include any reference to capital funding used for revenue, spend from school balances, the effect of staffing changes, or additions to 200203 budgets. The adjustments to the 200304 budget shares would have the effect of adding to the baseline any sums made available from Additional Budget Support Grant, whether within a redetermined budget share or allocated separately; and excluding the following items: rates; amounts for named pupils, including those for special educational needs; prior year adjustments and sixth form funding from the Learning and Skills Council.

School Meals

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what systems are in place to ensure that compulsory nutrition standards for school lunches are maintained.

Stephen Twigg: It is the responsibility of the local education authority or, where the budget for school meals has been delegated to them, a school's governing body, to ensure that the statutory nutritional standards for school lunches are met. The Department for Education and Skills, in partnership with the Food Standards Agency, have commissioned research by Kings College London to assess whether food provided for and consumed during school lunches in a sample of maintained secondary schools in England complies with statutory nutritional standards and associated guidance. We expect that the findings of this survey will be available in spring 2004.

Specialist Schools

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the performance of (a) specialist schools and (b) specialist schools in Redcar and Cleveland borough, in achieving 5A*-C grades at GCSE compared to the national average; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: holding answer 3 November 2003
	56.1 per cent. of 15-year-olds in specialist schools 1 gained 5 or more A*-C grades at GCSE/GNVQ in 2003, based on provisional data. For non-specialist 2 schools, the figure was 48.7 per cent. The national average was 52.6 per cent.
	This supports our view that every secondary school should be given the opportunity to attain specialist status when it is ready to do so. The breakdown of data for specialist schools in Redcar and Cleveland is not yet available. GCSE/GNVQ Performance Table data will be published in January 2004.
	1 Specialist schools cover the 979 maintained, mainstream schools which were operational specialists as at September 2002, with 2003 GCSE/GNVQ results.
	2 Non-specialist schools cover maintained, mainstream schools with 2003 GCSE/GNVQ results.
	Source:
	SFR 29/2003, October 8th 2003: GCSE/GNVQ Examination Results for Young People in England, 2002/2003 (Provisional), Tables 1 and 2. http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000419/index.shtml

Student Income

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average gross income of students was in the last 12 months, broken down by income quintile.

Alan Johnson: The Department has conducted a Student Income and Expenditure Survey (SIES) for the 2002/03 academic year. It will provide up-to-date information on students' income in the 2002/03 academic year for full-time, young, single, childless, English and Welsh domiciled students who are undertaking an undergraduate degree at publicly funded Higher Education Institutions in England and Wales in 2002/03.
	The Department will announce a date for publication once a finalised report has been agreed with the researcher. Once published, the Department will use the data for further analysis of students' income.

Teachers

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many newly-qualified teachers have failed to start an induction year four terms after starting daily supply work since the regulation was introduced; and who is responsible for enforcing this regulation.

David Miliband: The Department does not collect any data on the number of newly qualified teachers that fail to start an induction year four terms after starting daily supply work.
	It is the responsibility of the parties involved in the induction processheads, governors and local education authorities, as well as the individual teachers themselves, to ensure that the regulations are observed.

Transitional Grants

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which criteria for the newly announced transitional grants for low funded authorities Poole local education authority does not meet.

David Miliband: In 200405, we are targeting transitional grant at LEAs which have received increases of less than 12 per cent. in Education Formula Spending and DfES grant between 200203 and 200405. On provisional figures, Poole does not fall into that category. We will be announcing details of the calculations at the time of the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement in mid-November 2003.

Truancy

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many officials in his Department have been employed on projects to reduce truancy in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: The number of officials working on the co-ordination and implementation of projects to reduce truancy and improve school attendance has varied between five in 1997 and 11 today.

University Applications

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applications there were for university places in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Alan Johnson: The latest available information from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), covering those applying for entry to full time undergraduate courses is shown in the table. Over the same period, the number of applicants from England and Wales who were accepted for entry increased by 9 per cent., and the latest figures published by UCAS for 2003 entry indicate that there will be a further rise this year.
	
		Applications through UCAS to full time undergraduate courses in England and Welsh institutions
		
			 Year of entry Number 
		
		
			 1997 1,851,316 
			 1998 1,803,032 
			 1999 1,750,075 
			 2000 1,723,836 
			 2001 1,729,702 
			 2002 1,739,875 
		
	
	Note:
	Each applicant can make up to six applications in each cycle.
	Source:
	UCAS

HEALTH

Hospital Acquired Infections

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who die from infections acquired in hospital.

Stephen Ladyman: Estimates of the number of deaths associated with these infections cannot be provided as certifying doctors may not have information on where an infection was acquired.

Emergency Calls (East Sussex)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of category A emergency calls were answered within eight minutes in East Sussex in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Response times to life threatening calls have significantly improved across the country. Latest information for the year 200203 showed that the Sussex Ambulance NHS Trust responded to 72.4 per cent. of life threatening category A calls within eight minutes, compared with 61.3 per cent. in 200001.

Foundation Hospitals

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many putative NHS foundation hospital trusts have published material seeking public support for foundation status; and how much was spent in each case.

John Hutton: The 25 applicants in the first wave for NHS foundation trust status are all currently consulting with patients, the public, staff and partner organisations on their application. The costs associated with this consultation are not kept centrally.

Phlebotomy Services

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department provides for phlebotomy services in general practice.

John Hutton: Near-patient testingincluding phlebotomyin general practice depends on ensuring that there are enough doctors with the right support. We have just seen the biggest year-on-year increase in the number of GPs for 20 years, and they are supported by more practice nurses and other health care professionals than ever before.

Care Homes

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the number of care home beds available in counties south of the Thames.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of care home places in counties south of the Thames at 31 March 2001 was 141,365. This was the last year that the Department of Health collected the data. The National Care Standards Commission now has responsibility for collecting this data.

Care Homes

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the average differential between the cost to local councils of running an old people's care home and the residential fee level for independent care homes, with special reference to Redcar and Cleveland.

Stephen Ladyman: Data on fees charged for independent care home places are not available centrally.
	For 200102 (the latest figures available), figures provided by councils suggest that the average gross weekly expenditure on supporting older people in council-run care homes in England was 446 and the corresponding expenditure on places in care homes in the independent sector was 286. Caution is needed in interpreting the difference between these figures. This is covered in Personal Social Services Expenditure and unit costs: England 20012002, a copy of which is available in the Library. For example, the difference may in part reflect differences in the dependency of people cared for. Where council-run services are more expensive than those provided by the independent sector, councils need to demonstrate through best value reviews that those higher costs are justified.
	According to information reported to the Department by Redcar and Cleveland council, the current gross cost of providing a place in a council-run care home is 456 per week. The average cost for a place in a care home for older people in the independent sector is 292 per week.

Care (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) residential care home and (b) nursing home places were available in (i) Lancashire and (ii) Chorley in each of the last five years, broken down by (A) local authority homes, (B) private sector homes and (C) charity and non-profit homes.

Stephen Ladyman: The table shows the number of care home places by type of accommodation available in Lancashire as at 31 March for the years 1998 to 2001. Data below local authority and health authority level is not available.
	Figures for later years have been collected by the National Care Standards Commission but comparable details broken down by authority are not available.
	
		Number of care home places in Lancashire(8) by type of accommodation 31 March 1998 to 2001 -- Rounded data
		
			  Residential homes Nursing homes 
			  LA Private Voluntary Small(9) Independent 
		
		
			  
			  
			 1998 2,850 10,985 1,080 550 7,555 
			 1999 2,600 11,140 1,080 570 7,315 
			 2000 2,550 11,275 1,045 580 6,930 
			 2001 2,345 11,065 1,035 590 6,185 
		
	
	(8) For residential care Lancashire has been interpreted as Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool for 1999 onwards; for 1998 it covered Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool. For nursing care it has been defined as South, East and Northwest Lancashire health authorities.
	(9) Independent registered care homes with less than four places.
	Source:
	RA and RH(N) form A.

Community Pharmacies

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to enhance the contribution community pharmacies make to the provision of health care.

Rosie Winterton: Community pharmacy is an integral part of the NHS. Our pharmacy programme, supported by a new contractual framework aimed to be in place next April, sets out a strong, ambitious role for community pharmacy in providing high quality health care services, reducing inequalities and improving access and choice for patients.

NHS Treatment Entitlement

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provisions the NHS has in place to ensure that only those entitled to NHS treatment receive it.

John Hutton: Entitlement to free national health service treatment is based on residence in the United Kingdom. The National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989 place a duty on NHS trusts to establish whether a patient is ordinarily resident or eligible for free NHS hospital treatment and if not to levy a charge for any treatment provided. The Government is consulting on proposals to strengthen the charging regulations.

Men's Health

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress the Government has made in meeting targets set for men's health in the National Plan.

Melanie Johnson: Work under way on the Department's priority areas, coronary heart disease and cancerthe major killers of menis having the greatest impact upon men's health. This includes initiatives to reduce smoking and improve diet and nutrition. Action to tackle drugs and alcohol misuse will also impact preferentially on men's health.

New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton

Dennis Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he proposes to visit New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton to inspect the premises.

Stephen Ladyman: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has accepted an invitation to visit New Cross Hospital. The date has not yet been finalised.

NHS Dentistry

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of state for Health if he will make a statement on NHS dentistry provision in Leicestershire.

Stephen Ladyman: In common with a number of areas, the recruitment of NHS dentists is a challenge in the Leicestershire area. The Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA is addressing access to NHS dentistry as a key priority. A number of options are being examined and these will be supported by funding which has been ring fenced with the aim of attracting more dentists to the area.

Forecasting the Nation's Health

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the pilot of the Forecasting the Nation's Health; if he will list the trusts which participated in the pilot of the Forecasting the Nation's Health; and what plans he has to expand the pilots of the Forecasting the Nation's Health to further trusts.

Rosie Winterton: To support national health service managers in anticipating circumstances of weather related high demand, the Met Office (in partnership with the Department of Health and NHS pilot sites) ran a weather forecast/health demand trial project, Forecasting the Nation's Health, supported by Her Majesty's Treasury Invest to Save funding over the winters of 200102 and 200203. The aim was to provide NHS managers with advance warning of whether to expect increased or reduced emergency admissions and allow them to plan the use of resources more efficiently.
	This work was without precedent internationally. The trial project has been completed and two external evaluations examined the reliability and value of such workload forecasting for the NHS. NHS users have been closely involved in the evaluation. The following trusts participated in the pilot:
	Addenbrooke's
	Basildon and Thurrock General Hospitals NHS Trust
	South Durham Healthcare NHS Trust
	The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust
	Birmingham Heartlands and Solihull NHS Trust
	Central Manchester Healthcare NHS Trust
	City Hospital NHS Trust
	Ealing Hospital NHS Trust
	Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust
	Hinchingbrooke Healthcare NHS Trust
	Mid-Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust
	Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust
	North Manchester Healthcare NHS Trust
	North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust
	Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust
	Oldham NHS Trust
	Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
	Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
	Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust
	Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust
	Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust
	Sheffield Teaching Hospital Trust
	South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust
	Stockport NHS Trust
	The Royal West Sussex NHS Trust
	The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust
	Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust
	United Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
	University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust
	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
	Whipps Cross Hospital.
	The Department of Health is currently assessing the evaluations with particular interest in the reliability, accuracy and usability of the forecasts in order to make an informed decision about the future direction of support for health demand forecasting systems.

Forecasting the Nation's Health

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has made to the Chancellor for funds to be made available for the continuation of the piloting of the Forecasting the Nation's Health.

Rosie Winterton: To support national health service managers in anticipating circumstances of weather related high demand, the Met Office (in partnership with the Department of Health and NHS pilot sites) ran a weather forecast/health demand trial project, Forecasting the Nation's Health, supported by Her Majesty's Treasury Invest to Save funding over the winters of 200102 and 20022003.
	The Department of Health is currently assessing the independent evaluations of this project before making a decision as to the future direction, support and funding of demand forecasting systems in the NHS. Any decisions about levels and sources of funding will depend on the outcome of this assessment.

Alternative and Complementary Medicine

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will bring forward proposals on the statutory self-regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture practitioners.

John Hutton: The Government welcomes the recent publication of the reports of the Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture Regulatory Working Groups. We will give careful consideration to the working groups' recommendations, prior to consulting on the statutory regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture practitioners. A consultation document will be published early next year.

Ashford (Middlesex) Hospital

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the staff in the new treatment centre at Ashford (Middlesex) hospital will be (a) additional staff and (b) staff transferring from the NHS.

John Hutton: holding answer 18 September 2003
	The exact position on staffing in this unit will be finalised as part of the final negotiations. It is expected that the professional staff will include additional staff provided by the independent sector provider and national health service staff working in the unit in an agreed and structured way.

Mental Health (Deaf People)Audiology

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps the Government are taking to make its suicide prevention strategy accessible to deaf people;
	(2)  what measures he is taking to encourage the collection of information on suicides by deaf people at primary care trust level.

Rosie Winterton: The suicide prevention strategy was launched in September 2002. The strategy is still available in hard copy and can also be accessed via the Department of Health and National Institute for Mental Health in England websites. The deaf community is able to request copies of the document through the Department of Health Publications Orderline on minicom.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) are required to carry,out suicide audits as part of their performance review process, but this does not, however, require PCTs to collect data about deaf people as distinct from any other group.
	The development of mental health services for deaf people, A Sign of the Times, was the subject of a separate extensive consultation, which concluded earlier this year. Officials are currently considering how to represent the many high quality responses received.

Mental Health (Deaf People)Audiology

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures the Government is taking to develop evidence-based service provision for the prevention of mental health problems in deaf people.

Rosie Winterton: The evidence that we have indicates, as outlined in the consultation document Sign of the Times, that access to a full range of services, support to parents in the early years and appropriate educational provision are likely to be the important factors.
	The responsibility for assessing the needs of their entire populations, and for making the provision they consider most appropriate, lies with the primary care trusts.

Commission for Patient andPublic Involvement in Health

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list each local network provider awarded a contract by the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health, the areas they have been awarded contracts for, and their registered office address; how many patient forums they are responsible for; which aspects of the service they have sub-contracted; and to whom they have sub-contracted.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 27 October 2003
	A full list of local network providers, the area they cover and the patients' forums they support is available on the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health's (CPPIH's) website at www.cppih.org. A copy of the relevant information has been placed in the Library. Local network providers have to seek approval from the CPPIH to sub contract the services for which they have been contracted to provide. No such requests have been made.

Data Protection

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to (a) primary care trusts, (b) NHS trusts and (c) agencies of his Department on S.I., 2002, No. 2905, The Data Protection (Processing of Sensitive Personal Data) (Elected Representatives) Order 2002 and the involvement of hon. Members with cases; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Guidance was issued to all primary care trusts, national health service trusts and agencies of the Department in July 2003 as part of the Confidentiality: NHS Code of Practice. The guidance states the following in the case of disclosures of health data to hon. and right hon. Members.
	If an investigation is appropriately authorised, disclosure will meet tests of necessity and appropriateness. The minimum necessary information should be disclosed. There is a balance to be drawn between ensuring that a patient has understood and properly consented to a disclosure of information and needlessly obstructing an investigation. Careful consideration of any written authorisation and prompt action are key, e.g. where an MP states, in writing, that s/he has a patient's consent for disclosure this may be accepted without further resort to the patient.

Plutonium Contamination

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent studies his Department has evaluated relating to the level of plutonium in the teeth of children (a) in the Sellafield area and (b) elsewhere in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The Department of Health funded studies on the contamination of the population of the United Kingdom by environmental plutonium and other radionuclides in the late 1990s.
	The samples chosen for analysis were either teeth, removed for orthodontic purposes, or 24 hour urine samples. Teeth, mostly intact first pre-molars, were collected by district health authorities, batched into samples of 50 teeth, then analysed for plutonium-239 + 240 by alpha-spectrometry. Additional single teeth were analysed for their total alpha-activity by alpha-track counting with Tastrak 'R' and additional batches were analysed for radiostrontium. The results showed that the average concentrations of total alpha-emitters and radiostrontium were approximately three orders of magnitude greater than the equivalent concentrations of plutonium isotopes. Analysis indicated that the concentrations of plutonium, but not strontium-90 or total alpha-emitters decreased with increasing distance from the west Cumbrian coast and its Sellafield nuclear fuel reprocessing plantsuggesting that this plant is a source of plutonium contamination in the wider population of the British Isles. Nevertheless, the measured average absolute concentrations of plutonium-239 + 240 were so low that they are considered to present an insignificant radiological hazard. Moreover, additional analyses showed that the concentrations of other high toxicity, natural alpha-emitting radionuclides (radium, thorium and uranium) were much higher than the levels of plutonium.

Trainee Dentists

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to increase the number of dentists training in (a) the North West, (b) East Lancashire and (c) England.

Rosie Winterton: We are currently undertaking the first review of the dental workforce since 1987 in consultation with the dental professionprofessional bodies, dental academics, as well as the British Dental Association. We hope to publish the review by the end of this year. The findings of this review will enable us to consider both the number of dentists and the location of their training in England.

Departmental Expenditure (Official Residences)

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential properties used by Ministers and officials in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The Department and its executive agencies have no residential properties on its estate.

Insulin

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people in the UK use (a) animal insulin and (b) GM insulin for treatment of diabetes;
	(2)  what the cost to the NHS of prescribing (a) animal insulin and (b) GM insulin for treatment of diabetes was in the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: Data on the number of people using these insulins is not collected. However, the table shows the number of prescription items that were dispensed in the community in England, and their cost, in the twelve months ended June 2003.
	
		Number of prescription items and net ingredient cost of Insulins that were dispensed in the community in England for the twelve months ending June 2003
		
			  Number of prescription items (Thousands) Net ingredient cost (000s) 
		
		
			 Highly purified animal insulin 128.1 4,217.2 
			 Human sequence (GM Insulin) 3,522.0 150,528.8 
			 All Insulins 3,650.0 154,746.0 
		
	
	Notes
	The data is from the Prescription Cost Anallysis (PCA) system which covers all prescription items that are dispensed in the community in England. This does not include drugs dispensed in hospitals or private prescriptions.
	Insulins are those defined in the British National Formulary BNF) paragraph 6.1.1, Insulins. Insulin drugs have been grouped into highly purified animal and human sequence (GM) insulin in line with the British National Formulary (BNF)
	Doctors write prescriptions on a prescription form. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item. The net ingredient cost refers to the cost (which the dispenser is reimbursed) of the drug before discounts and does not include any dispensing costs or fees.

Insulin

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people in the UK are known to be unable to use GM insulin for the treatment of diabetes;
	(2)  how many users of GM insulins for treatment of Type 1 diabetes have been found dead attributable to dead in bed syndrome in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) assessed regarding the (i) efficacy and (ii) side-effects of GM insulin against animal insulin on diabetes patients;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the side-effects of GM insulin on certain diabetes sufferers.

Rosie Winterton: We have no estimate of the numbers of people with diabetes who are known to be unable to use genetically modified (human) insulin. Decisions on the most suitable type of insulin should be made by people with diabetes in consultation with their healthcare providers. The Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has kept the safety of human insulins under close review. The CSM concluded that, although some patients have experienced problems on transferring to human insulin and are better suited to animal derived insulins, there is no evidence of a safety concern specific to human insulin. The CSM Sub-Committee on Pharmacovigilance reviewed the issue again in September 2000, following the publication of a systematic review of the literature. 52 randomised controlled trials were identified, in addition to 56 studies of other designs and case reports. The Sub-Committee considered the paper and agreed with the conclusions of the authors that there is no evidence of a safety problem specific to human insulin. In 2002, the Cochrane Library published a review of human insulin versus animal insulin in people with diabetes mellitus. This review included randomised controlled trials of at least one month in duration. No significant differences in metabolic control or hypoglycaemic episodes between various insulin species could be found. Data on the rare occurrence of dead in bed syndrome is not collected.

Insulin

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what measures the Government are taking to secure the continued availability of animal insulin to people who have shown a resistance to GM insulin for the treatment of diabetes;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with his Danish counterparts about the continued supply of animal insulin;
	(3)  from where the NHS sources (a) animal insulin and (b) GM insulin;
	(4)  what discussions he has had with the Insulin Dependent Diabetes Trust about the continued supply of animal insulin to diabetes patients in the UK.

Rosie Winterton: There are two companies supplying animal insulin in the United Kingdom; CP Pharmaceuticals and Novo Nordisk. Both companies have confirmed that they will continue to supply animal insulin for the foreseeable future. Officials are in regular contact with these companies. I have had no discussions with either the Insulin Dependent Diabetes Trust or my Danish counterparts on this subject.

Diagnostic and Treatment Centres

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the organisations invited to run private diagnostic and treatment centres; in how many cases such an organisation, its associated companies, subsidiaries or directors (a) have been indicted for defrauding taxpayers, patients, staff or their national revenue service and (b) are being investigated for such offences; and if he will list the offences in each case.

John Hutton: holding answer 16 September 2003
	A list of bidders selected to run new treatment centres was announced on Friday 12 September.
	In line with major public procurements, Official Journal of the European Communities procurement rules have been adhered to. Regulation 14 of the Public Services Contracts Regulations 1993 specifies the criteria for rejecting bidders. All bidders were required to complete a pre-qualification questionnaire confirming that no bidder had among other matters been convicted of a criminal offence or committed a grave misconduct in the course of its business of not fulfilling obligations relating to payment of taxes. Each appointed preferred bidder has confirmed that that there are no grounds applicable pursuant to which they could be rejected under Regulation 14.
	Further, each preferred bidder has confirmed that there are no material nor employment related litigation or other legal proceedings relating to any of the projects that have undertaken which they relied on in their bid to demonstrate their experience of health care projects.

Diagnostic and Treatment Centres

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research informed the grouping of diagnostic and treatment centres into the chain which includes the proposed Ashford centre.

John Hutton: In autumn 2002, the national health service undertook a national capacity planning process lead by local NHS commissioners. This identified a range of capacity gaps that needed to be met for the NHS to meet the waiting time target set for 2005. Where the NHS was not able to demonstrate plans to meet this demand the residual activity was market tested in December 2002 through an Official Journal of the European Communities (OJEC) advert. In light of the preliminary response, the chains were configured to link capacity gaps of similar activity and organised in a way that the market could provide a rapid response.

Diagnostic and Treatment Centres

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether privately run diagnostics and treatment centres will operate (a) in whole and (b) in part from NHS premises.

John Hutton: A principal aim of the independent sector treatment centre programme is to make available to national health service commissioners additional capacity. Many of the units will either be new build or modular accommodation. In some cases, where local NHS commissioners have requested and where it fits within the local health economy, these units may use NHS accommodation for which they will pay the NHS rent.

Diagnostic and Treatment Centres

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS premises will be used by private sector diagnostic and treatment centres.

John Hutton: holding answer 18 September 2003
	A principle aim of the independent sector treatment centre programme is to make available to national health service commissioners additional capacity. Many of the units will either be new buildings or modular accommodation (pre-built operating theatres or ward space). In some cases, local NHS commissioners will make available NHS accommodation that is not currently in use for these new units. In these cases the independent sector provider will pay rent to the NHS.

Trainee Doctors

Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors were in training on the latest date for which figures are available.

John Hutton: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley (Ms Mountford) earlier today.

Harefield Hospital

John Wilkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of personnel working at Harefield Hospital, Middlesex, indicated in the latest staff survey a willingness to transfer to a new cardiothoracic hospital at Paddington Basin in central London.

John Hutton: Staff retention and recruitment is a major priority in the planning process for the Paddington Health Campus. The most recent Harefield staff survey was conducted by the Royal Brompton and Harefield National Health Service Trust in February 2003. This is a trust document and a copy is available from them on request.

Hospital Trusts (Performance Ratings)

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Commission for Health Improvement on the desirability of the Commission, when assessing the performance of hospital trusts, focusing on (a) outcome, (b) quality and (c) process.

John Hutton: The Commission for Health Improvement has already introduced new performance indicators which reflect increasingly the outcomes and quality of treatment patients receive, as well as good processes. The Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection will, subject to parliamentary approval, take over from April 2004 responsibility for performance ratings and, in consultation with the national health service and the Department of Health, develop the assessment process further.

Hospital Trusts (Performance Ratings)

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Commission for Health Improvement concerning its commitment to reassess the way in which the Commission assesses the performance of hospital trusts.

John Hutton: The Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) inherited and further developed a robust methodology for producing performance ratings. The Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (CHAI), subject to parliamentary approval, will take over responsibility for the ratings from April 2004, and will consult the national health service and the Department of Health, to further develop the assessment process.

Local Pharmaceutical Services

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if patient registration will become an aspect of local pharmacy services pilots.

Rosie Winterton: Local pharmaceutical services pilots can offer patient registration although there is no requirement for patients to use the scheme if they do not wish to do so.

Mental Health Bill

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to issue the results of the consultation on the Mental Health Bill; and in what form.

Rosie Winterton: The Government's response to the consultation will be published before the introduction of the Bill. It will be available in hard copy and on the Department's website.
	At that time, copies of responses will be placed in the Library, except in cases where respondents have asked for confidentiality.

NHS Cancer Plan

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with primary care trusts about their role in implementing the preventative elements of the NHS Cancer Plan in (a) Blackpool and (b) England.

Melanie Johnson: No specific discussions have taken place with primary care trusts (PCTs) about their role in implementing the preventative elements of the NHS Cancer Plan in Blackpool and England. It is for PCTs to discuss with their respective strategic health authorities their role in implementing the preventative elements of the NHS Cancer Plan.
	A resource handbook is available for PCTs to highlight the opportunities for the challenges locally from the national service frameworks entitled, National Service Frameworks: A Practical Aid to Implementation in Primary Care (2002).
	A resource to help health professionals implement the prevention aspects of the NHS Cancer Plan was launched on 1 November 2002 by the Health Development Agency. Cancer Prevention: A resource to support local action in delivering the NHS Cancer Plan makes recommendations for action based on the evidence of what works best to tackle Smoking; Diet and Nutrition; Obesity; Physical Activity; Alcohol; Sunlight and Radonthe seven key cancer risk factors highlighted in the NHS Cancer Plan.
	Support has been made available in respect of the role of PCTs in delivering NHS stop smoking services, namely recommendations produced by the Health Development Agency entitled, Meeting Department Of Health Smoking Cessation Targets: Recommendations for Primary Care Trusts (ISBN: 1842791257) and available on the Department of Health's tobacco website. These recommendations cover all aspects of service delivery in this area to help PCTs to commission effective, efficient services.

NHS Administrative Costs

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the administrative costs of each health authority in England were in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: A list of the administrative costs of each health authority in England in each year since 1997 has been placed in the Library.
	The following table shows national commissioner administration, and provider management costs in the national health service 199798 to 200102.
	
		
			  Total HA + PCT administration and NHS trust management costs (000) NHS total expenditure England( million) Percentage HA + PCT administration and NHS trust management costs of NHS budget 
		
		
			 199798 1,962,983 34,664 5.7 
			 199899 1,935,116 36,608 5.3 
			 1 9992000 2,051,259 40,215 5.1 
			 200001 2,124,710 43,951 4.8 
			 200102 2,565,092 49,279 5.0 
		
	
	Management costs have, as a percentage of the overall NHS budget, fallen from 5 per cent. to 4 per cent. over the period 199798 to 200102.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Departmental Energy Use

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much (a) electricity and (b) other energy his Department and its predecessors has used in each year since 1997 (i) in total and (ii) per square metre; what the projected use is for each of the following years for which forecasts are made; what plans he has to reduce usage; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: For the amount of energy consumed each year since 1997, in total, and per square metre for my Department I refer the hon. Member to the answer given him by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 3 November 2003, Official Report, column 403W. This is based on annual returns provided by this Department.
	My Department only forecasts energy usage for the forthcoming financial year and the current forecast for 200405 are set out in the following table. This table also includes details of our actual consumption for 200203 and our forecast consumption for 200304.
	
		Consumption (GWH)
		
			  Fossil Electricity 
		
		
			 200203(10) 104.5 (11)64.6 
			 200304 95.7 61.7 
			 200405 97.7 67.4 
		
	
	(10) The figures for 200203 have been weather corrected to the 19992000 20 year average.
	(11) This includes 10 per cent. of energy which is from renewable sources and therefore exempt from CCL.
	My Department plans to reduce energy usage by continuing its planned program of energy surveys, efficiency works and training courses for Accommodation Liaison Officers.
	In addition my Department follows guidance on government procurement produced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This requires all new contracts to meet minimum efficiency standards as well as value for money, when purchasing certain types of product. Types of product that must meet energy efficiency criteria include IT equipment, gas boilers, white goods (eg fridges and washing machines), televisions, lighting systems and light-bulbs 2003.

Judicial Committee

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many countries use the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as their final court of appeal; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: The Judicial Committee is used by 15 countries, as well as by the Sovereign Base area of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus and by the United Kingdom Overseas Territories. Fuller details are available on the Privy Council Office website www.privycouncil.gov.uk.

Magistrates Courts

Stephen Byers: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what amounts of fines were (a) due to be paid and (b) collected in each magistrates' court in the most recent year for which information is available.

Christopher Leslie: Magistrates' Courts Committees (MCCs) have a responsibility for the collection of a range of debts imposed by both the magistrates' courts and the Crown Court. Debt collected includes not only fines but also fees, compensation, confiscation orders, legal aid contributions and some maintenance orders. It is not yet possible to separate out only fines from the total so the figures provided in the table include all the elements above. Data are collected centrally at a MCC level, rather than at court level.
	
		Debt AnalysisFinancial Year April 2002March 2003
		
			  Including Confiscation Orders Excluding Confiscation Orders 
			  Amount Owed Total including Confiscation Orders Amount Collected Total Including Confiscation Orders Amount Owed Total Excluding Confiscation orders Amount Collected Total Excluding Confiscation Orders 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 8,181,788 5,259,280 8,037,845 5,201,617 
			 Bedfordshire 3,480,794 2,025,001 3,369,920 1,990,976 
			 Cambridgeshire 7,212,583 3,238,169 4,823,762 3,235,925 
			 Cheshire 6,343,975 3,528,927 5,937,986 3,517,973 
			 Cleveland 4,216,677 1,975,152 3,988,362 1,975,152 
			 Cumbria 3,731,662 2,775,099 3,664,593 2,774,655 
			 Derbyshire 8,019,991 4,686,960 7,701,784 4,375,281 
			 Devon and Cornwall 8,789,409 5,532,765 8,611,511 5,427,765 
			 Dorset 3,129,353 2,389,428 2,937,889 2,254,069 
			 Durham 3,810,252 2,824,406 3,724,459 2,804,406 
			 Dyfed Powys 2,998,274 1,960,800 2,985,359 1,955,054 
			 Essex 11,051,684 8,218,465 10,823,161 8,187,035 
			 Gloucestershire 2,810,188 2,354,218 2,778,482 2,285,011 
			 Greater London 111,347,014 44,495,021 78,359,500 40,008,859 
			 Greater Manchester 23,784,474 15,219,139 23,637,845 15,114,771 
			 Gwent 5,112,864 2,928,599 5,078,825 2,927,407 
			 Hampshire and IoW 9,564,623 7,373,651 9,559,305 7,130,126 
			 Hertfordshire 6,601,848 4,435,570 6,465,770 4,051,933 
			 Humberside 5,435,985 3,624,952 5,230,916 3,510,212 
			 Kent 9,434,951 5,730,421 9,433,926 5,279,995 
			 Lancashire 11,325,845 7,126,465 10,315,616 6,979,413 
			 Leicestershire 6,860,746 4,714,845 6,856,679 4,712,644 
			 Lincolnshire 5,112,202 3,022,844 4,357,890 2,877,555 
			 Merseyside 13,398,088 4,377,442 11,211,568 4,257,610 
			 Norfolk 3,788,526 2,844,567 3,564,228 2,631,267 
			 North Wales 5,413,000 2,887,586 5,329,765 2,828,407 
			 North Yorkshire 3,204,012 2,485,638 3,173,526 2,367,756 
			 Northamptonshire 5,444,863 3,447,419 5,243,809 3,367,406 
			 Northumbria 8,823,707 5,231,567 8,813,707 5,231,567 
			 Nottinghamshire 6,901,699 4,503,754 6,306,446 4,186,059 
			 South Wales 9,536,317 4,936,250 9,496,396 4,902,869 
			 South Yorkshire 8,461,741 5,127,542 7,395,710 5,070,458 
			 Staffordshire 7,974,944 4,533,341 7,095,831 4,320,887 
			 Suffolk 3,405,285 2,366,200 3,226,536 2,330,078 
			 Surrey 5,427,711 4,414,523 5,379,103 4,349,531 
			 Sussex 6,402,558 3,958,078 6,402,558 3,958,078 
			 Thames Valley 12,245,768 8,450,928 12,066,998 8,450,928 
			 Warwickshire 3,015,942 2,612,689 2,906,417 2,578,005 
			 West Mercia 6,807,395 4,845,635 6,666,562 4,843,985 
			 West Midlands 23,774,188 11,759,135 20,876,615 11,749,870 
			 West Yorkshire 18,252,877 8,550,736 12,641,471 8,514,510 
			 Wiltshire 5,228,069 3,546,903 4,831,198 3,353,379 
			  
			 England and Wales 425,863,872 236,320,110 371,309,829 227,870,484

Small Claims Courts

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how the personnel who adjudicate in the small claims court are selected for (a) the job and (b) particular types of case.

Christopher Leslie: Small claims are heard in county courts by District Judges and deputy District Judges who are appointed by the Lord Chancellor. Any District Judge, or deputy, can deal with small claims cases. The listing officer in each court is responsible, under the superintendence of the judges, on a day-to-day basis for allocating cases to individual judges.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Housing (Islington)

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the London borough of Islington concerning (a) its arm's length management organisation application, (b) the cost of its preparation and (c) the views of the borough's tenants on this policy.

Keith Hill: The London borough of Islington was given a provisional allocation of 24.9 million under Round Three of the Arm's Length Management Organisation (ALMO) Programme in July this year. Officials at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have had detailed discussions with council officers while the bid was being assessed. This dialogue will continue as the council draws up its application under section 27 of the Housing Act 1985 to delegate its housing management functions to the ALMO. Approval under section 27 will only be given if we are satisfied that proper consultation has been carried out and that tenants support proposals. The cost of preparing ALMO applications is a matter for the council.

Fire Service

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what in-service death benefits are payable to members of the Fire Service.

Phil Hope: For Great Britain the full range of death benefits that are potentially available under the Fire-fighters' Pension Scheme are:
	Spouse's Ordinary Pension
	Spouse's Special Pension
	Spouse's Augmented Award
	Spouse's Accrued Pension
	Child's Ordinary Pension
	Child's Special Allowance
	Child's Special Gratuity
	Child's Accrued Allowance
	Lump Sum Death Grant
	Adult Dependent Relative's Special Pension
	Dependent Relative's Gratuity
	Eligibility will depend on individual circumstances at the time of death. In addition, under the Conditions of Service agreed by the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades, death grant is payable to the dependants or estate of any fire-fighter killed as a result of an accident on duty.

Local Authority Housing Transfers

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether the requirement that local authorities consultation material issued as part of large scale voluntary transfer is checked by the Department extends to information issued by (a) individual (i) councillors, (ii) tenants, (iii) tenant groups and (b) the selected stock transfer organisation;
	(2)  what the reasons are for requiring local authorities to have all materials checked as part of the consultation process for large scale voluntary transfer.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not formally check material issued by parties other than the local authority. An authority is required to give Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Housing Corporation an opportunity to comment on its consultation material before it is issued. This is to enable identification of anything which is likely to be unacceptable to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister when he comes to consider the authority's consent application or to draw attention to the adequacy or comprehensiveness of the material.
	In carrying out consultation with tenants about a proposed transfer, local authorities must meet the statutory requirements set out in section 106 of and Schedule 3A to the Housing Act 1985 (as inserted by section six of and Schedule one to the Housing and Planning Act 1986). They are also obliged to adhere to the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity. This permits authorities to explain and justify their proposals and ensure that local authority publicity concentrates on facts and explanation.

Local Authority Housing Transfers

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the material his Department has checked from (a) Stroud district council and (b) other parties involved in the large scale voluntary transfer process.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has formally cleared material issued by the local authority and has, on request, commented on material issued by other stakeholders.

Local Authority Housing Transfers

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish the advice his Department has given to Stroud district council on their communication with tenants regarding the procedures for large scale voluntary transfer.

Keith Hill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 22 October 2003, Official Report, column 564. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects all local authorities involved in housing transfer to follow the guidance on involving tenants and other stakeholders in the Housing Transfer Manual. All comments provided to Stroud district council have been in accordance with this guidance.

Mobile Masts

Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received on third generation mobile telephone masts from the Churt Mast Action Group.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no record of having received representations on third generation mobile telephone masts from the Churt Mast Action Group.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the United Kingdom has contributed to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in each year; how much is planned to be spent in 200405; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UK has a long-term commitment to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria and recognises that in order to be effective it needs predictable and sustainable financing. The UK recently extended its pledge by a further two years to 2008 bringing our total contribution to US$280million.
	The pattern of our disbursements has been agreed with the Global Fund Secretariatfor the financial year 200203, the UK provided 50 million in two separate payments of 25 million, in 200304 the UK provided 25 million, and for the financial year 200405 we will provide 30 million.
	UK funding will be subject to the GFATM reflecting a clear poverty focus, achieving a better financing system, integrating the Fund's activities more effectively with national programmes and meeting agreed benchmarks to monitor its effectiveness. I am pleased to report that good progress was made at the recent 6th Board meeting in Thailand on many of these issues.

HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funds the Government is committed to allocating towards the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria; and what funds have been allocated to date.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UK has a long-term financial commitment to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria which will provide the Fund with a total contribution of $280 million by 2008. The pattern of our disbursements has been agreed with the Global Fund Secretariat and to date these amount to 75 million.

International Debt

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of debt repayments which are made by developing countries and are received by the UK are (a) channelled to non-governmental organisations, (b) channelled to departmental aid programmes and (c) absorbed by the Exchequer.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	Over 90 per cent. of sovereign debt payments to the Government relates to recoveries and interest payable to the Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD) under Bilateral Debt Rescheduling agreements in respect of defaulted export contracts.
	With the exception of an amount, averaging less than 1.6 per cent. per annum, which is passed on to ECGD's policyholders as their part of the recovery, all the receipts are paid into the Consolidated Fund.
	The Department for International Development (DfID) also receives some repayments on aid. The principal repayments are channelled to the DfID bilateral aid programme. Repayments of interest are paid into the Consolidated Fund.
	The UK Government are committed to providing debt relief for the most heavily indebted countries in the world through the rapid and full implementation of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, ensuring that it delivers a robust exit from unsustainable debt for the world's poorest countries. The UK has already made a commitment to provide 100 per cent. relief on debts for all eligible HIPC countries when they reach Completion point. Furthermore, the Chancellor has announced that any payments from countries yet to reach Decision Point will be held in trust for the day they can be returned to fund poverty reduction. The HIPC Initiative has an important role to play in maximising the resources available for poverty reduction in developing countries. However, all HIPC countries would still need additional aid to meet the Millennium Development Goals, even if all of their debt from the World bank and IMF were forgiven. That is why the UK's proposal for an International Finance Facility is so important. It can provide the much-needed substantial increase in resources that debt relief alone would not achieve and that could be disbursed by way of grants and additional debt relief.

Kyrgyzstan/Uzbekistan

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the humanitarian situation on the border between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Uzbekistan closed its border with the Kyrgyz Republic in January 2003. It was done, according to the Uzbeks, to protect Uzbekistan from cheap Kyrgyz goods. It has had a severe impact on the livelihoods of people living near the border. Cross-border trade has declined, although smuggling, by bribing border officials, has increased dramatically. Families living on either side of the border are separated from their relatives. Some 20 Uzbek citizens, mainly women, have drowned while attempting to cross the border river at Kara Suu. Uzbek border guards along the 1100km border have shot several Uzbek and Kyrgyz citizens. The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry continues to issue protest notes to Uzbekistan.
	Several Kyrgyz and Uzbek NGOs have recently started a project on reducing tension in border areas. International organizations and donors working on cross-border issues include OSCE, USAID, UNDP, Mercy Corps, ICG, ICRC, IOM.

Mongolia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects his Department (a) has initiated, (b) fully directed funds, (c) partially directed funds, (d) funds through EU initiatives and (e) funds through United Nations initiatives in Mongolia; and if he will make a statement on the (i) aims, (ii) structure, (iii) methods and (iv) progress of each.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has no long-term or current bilateral programme in Mongolia. The British embassy does provide some direct assistance in the form of a Small Grants Scheme (SGS) allocation (currently 200,000 per annum) to support small-scale poverty and human development focused activities. The focus of the SGS in Mongolia is on children, especially with respect to education, social care and protection from exploitation and violence. Key projects will direct funds towards assisting the integration of vulnerable children into pre and primary school education, while also helping to tackle problems that face Mongolia's street children by defining clear standards of care for shelters and increasing the number of children united with their families. The SGS is largely managed by the Save the Children on behalf of the FCO. The Save the Children Fund reports annually on the SGS to the FCO.
	DFID has made small contributions for humanitarian aid and relief in previous years, but none in this financial year.
	In addition the UK contributes to the development programmes of various multi-lateral agencies. The imputed share of the UK's spend on Mongolia (in 2001, the latest year for which figures are available) through the EU and the UN was 400,000 and 600,000 respectively.
	The EU's current Country Strategy for Mongolia runs from 200204 and focuses on Rural Development (including providing support for rural enterprises; addressing the social consequences of transition and protection of the environment). Performance against the Country Strategy is due to be reviewed in 200405.
	A range of specialised UN agenciessuch as UNICEFoperate in Mongolia. In addition, the United Nations Development Programme facilitates delivery of programmes under three headings in Mongolia: Democratic Governance, Economic Transition and Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Natural Resource Management.
	DFID does not individually monitor the progress of all projects that are funded on a multilateral basis, as this would involve duplication and unnecessarily divert resources. DFID therefore works to ensure that sufficiently robust reporting arrangements are in place within relevant multilateral agencies.

Non-governmental Organisations

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the concerns raised by (a) Mr. Dennis McNamara, Inspector General of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and (b) Dr. Dawit Zawde, President and CEO of Africa Humanitarian Action during his presentation to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' pre-Governing Executive Committee meeting in Geneva on 2 October; what plans his Department has to address these concerns; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Government attaches high priority to the concerns raised by Dennis McNamara on the safety and security of humanitarian workers in Iraq and other conflict-affected countries. Prior to the conflict in Iraq, DFID provided the Office of the UN Security Coordinator (UNSECOORD) with 100,000 for security support measures and a further 500,000 immediately following conflict also to support UN security. Since the bombing of the UN Headquarters, DFID funds of up to 3 million have been earmarked to UNSECOORD for extra staff, equipment and measures for improving UN security.
	DFID maintains regular contact with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in Iraq, at which safety and security issues are carefully considered. Where necessary DFID is supporting NGOs to enhance security measures through our programme support to their work in Iraq.
	Dr. Dawit Zawde raised concerns that smaller NGOs are being sidelined in favour of larger ones. DFID does not exclude small agencies. We are focused on achieving results and DFID will work with smaller agencies when this is the most effective way of achieving our objectives.

Sudan

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department is spending in 200304 on development aid to Sudan, broken down by (a) type of programme, (b) cost of programme and (c) region for which support is being provided.

Hilary Benn: In 200304 DFID plans to spend 20 million on development aid to Sudan.
	The following is a list of those Sudanese projects which are now active, or have been active in 200304.
	We are open to working in all regions of Sudan. The allocation of funds is decided by need, not location. However, where a project in the aforementioned list is engaged in working in a particular locality, this is mentioned.
	DFID funded activities in Sudan during financial year 200304
	National Projects
	Abduction/Slavery
	Save the Children UKCase Resolution and the Eradication of Internal Abduction of Women and Children in Sudan (500,000).
	Demining
	UN Mine Action ServiceMine Action throughout Sudan and Mine Clearance in Nuba Mountains (1,000,000).
	Education
	INICEFSupporting Primary Education in the conflict-affected areas of Sudan. Building for Peace (2,000,000).
	Bishop Mubarek Scholarship Fund for Nuba Women and the Hugh Pilkington Charitable TrustScholarship Programmes for Sudanese Students at universities and colleges in Sudan, Kenya and Uganda (360,000).
	Gender
	Women's Development Associationsenhancing women's knowledge about their rights to services, and strengthening the linkages between WDA's and local institutions, including the public sector (113,007). Health/Food
	International Committee of the Red Cross: 2003 Sudan Appeal (2,500,000).
	UNICEFSudan Water and Sanitation Programme (500,000).
	World Food ProgrammeSudan Emergency Food Assistance 2003 (2,500,000).
	Peace Building
	UNDPSupport for the joint secretariat of the Government of Sudan and Sudan People's Liberation Movement's Joint Planning Mechanism (JPM) (88,000).
	Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)Contribution to Budget for the Sudan Peace Secretariat in Nairobi, to facilitate direct talks between parties involved in the civil war in Sudan (505,000).
	IGADSudan Ceasefire Verification Monitoring Team (490,000).
	Resource People for the Peace talks (advice and support to parties involved in the IGAD peace talks in Sudan) (100,000).
	Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration Adviser to the IGAD Sudan Peace Talks (63,000).
	Relief Organisation/Coordination
	UNDP Regional Humanitarian Coordinator, SudanEmergency Operations Coordinating and planning (185,000).
	Local Projects
	Health/Food
	International Federation of the Red CrossEmergency Appeal Sudan. Floods in Kassala State (150,000).
	Action Contre la FaimEmergency Nutritional Programme Red Sea State, Sudan (202,593).
	Action Contre la FaimNutrition, Food Security and Surveillance Programme in Bentiu, Rob Kona and Surroundings, Unity State, Sudan (316,426).
	ConcernAweil West and North, Supplementary and Community Therapeutic Care and Emergency Nutrition (350,000).
	GOALTo prevent disease and establish PHC in Kassala Town in Kassala Sudan in light of the recent floods in the area (96,500).
	MEDAIR: Emergency Nutrition Project: Lekuangale Pibor County, Sudan (114,500).
	Medecins sans FrontieresEmergency Health Interventions in the Gederaf, Malkal and Wau states in Sudan: treatment of Kala Azar (700,000).
	Medecins sans FrontieresHealth Assistance for the Resident and Displaced Populations in Jonglei and Upper Nile Provinces, Southern Sudan (424,000).
	Medecins sans FrontieresPrimary Health Care: Akop, Ananatak and Luacjang Payams in Tonj County (265,439).
	Medecins sans FrontieresTreatment of Human African Trypanosomiasis (Sleeping sickness) in Ibba, Maridi County, Western Equatoria, Sudan (250,000).
	OxfamEmergency Food and Nutrition Intervention Tokar, Rural Port Sudan and urban shanty areas in Port Sudan, Red Sea State (647,220).
	Save the Children UK: Emergency response to conflict related internal displacement in North Dafur (500,000).
	Tear FundEmergency Nutrition, Health and Food Security in Aweil East, South and West (506,458).
	World Vision Emergency Nutrition Project: Thiet, Tonj, Pagal and Kuanythi Payams, Tonj County, Bhar el Ghazal Region, Sudan (513,706).
	Peace Building
	IGAD Peace Talks: Joint Military CommissionThe Nuba Mountains Cease-Fire Agreement (2,308,000).
	Christian Aid: Legal Stakeholders consultative Workshop, Rumbek, September 2003 (planning an integrated justice sector for south Sudan) (33,500).

Sudan

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources he will make available to aid post-conflict reconstruction and development in Sudan on the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement; for what types of programme funding will be made available; and which regions will benefit.

Hilary Benn: DFID intends to increase its programme in Sudan should a peace agreement be reached. The majority of our resources would continue to go towards humanitarian needs, but with a greater emphasis towards longer-term development. We believe that work on the implementation of the peace agreement will require early funding. We would gradually increase the amount put towards the longer-term objectives of improved governance and policies. In addition, we expect to pay our share of the costs of debt relief.
	Our intention is to ensure all regions would benefit from peace in Sudan.

Sudan

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he will take to ensure that resources made available by his Department will be allocated (a) transparently and (b) to all marginalised groups and regions of Sudan.

Hilary Benn: We will provide information on the activities we fund in Sudan to any member of the public who requests it.
	With regard to making resources available to all marginalised regions and groups on Sudan, our support for peace building is built on the premise that all regions and all peoples need their voices and grievances to be heard. However, our humanitarian responses are based on need, not geography or ethnicity. Our limited resources mean we cannot fund all activities.

Sudan

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the peace process in Sudan.

Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 21 October 2003, Official Report, column 510W.

Sudan

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure the safety of workers distributing aid funded by his Department in Sudan; and if he will make a statement on the recent murders of aid workers in the Darfur region.

Hilary Benn: When considering proposals for activities in insecure regions of Sudan, the experience and ability of the requesting body to deal with a difficult environment is considered. If an agency funded by us decides to withdraw, suspending or cancelling a project due to deteriorating conditions, we support their decision.
	We were saddened to hear of the deaths of the aid workers in Darfur and our thoughts are with their families.

Zimbabwe

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will increase the number of local NGOs with which his Department works in Zimbabwe.

Hilary Benn: DFID is already funding the activities of several local NGOs either directly or through the partnerships local NGOs have with international NGOs in Zimbabwe. The international NGOs that have such partnerships include Oxfam, SCF, CRS, Care, CAFOD, Christian Aid, JSI and others.
	An example of a local NGO DFID is funding is the farm community trust of Zimbabwe (FCTZ). This is assisting displaced former commercial farm workers with both agricultural recovery inputs such as seeds and fertilizers (with some technical assistance) and food aid. In addition we are providing funding to Fosenet, which is an umbrella organisation of local NGOs, with support for four of its members.
	The capacity of the local NGOs is often limited and this is being addressed either directly or through the international NGOs that are providing support and facilitation.

Zimbabwe

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures are being taken to ensure that (a) aid distributors in Zimbabwe and (b) those responsible for registration are appropriately trained to ensure they (i) understand and (ii) comply with the apolitical nature of aid programmes.

Hilary Benn: The memorandum of understanding recently signed between the World Food Programme (WFP) and government of Zimbabwe sets out clear processes for registration of beneficiaries and distribution of food aid. WFP conducts rigorous training of its implementing partners on these aid delivery protocols which stress the apolitical nature of food aid. WFP has also disseminated these guidelines to local government officials to remind them remind of their obligations to ensure food aid is distributed on the basis of need rather than political affiliation.
	DFID and other donors are providing additional support to WFP to strengthen their capacity to monitor food aid including registration and distribution processes. Particular focus is on the monitoring of political incidents. WFP and NGOs have a zero tolerance policy with regard to politicisation of food aid. Although there have been a few local incidents of political interference these have been dealt with swiftly at a local level through prompt action by NGOs and WFP.
	In addition, DFID holds regular meetings with its NGO partners (many of whom are also WFP implementing partners), to discuss and improve food aid mechanisms. Many DFID partners are also individually negotiating memoranda of understanding at district level to ensure all stakeholders are aware of apolitical registration and distribution processes.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Council Tax Benefit

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will estimate the average level of unclaimed council tax benefit per pensioner in London;
	(2)  if he will estimate the proportion of (a) pensioners and (b) households in London who are eligible for council tax benefit but do not claim.

Chris Pond: The information is not available.
	Statistics for Great Britain are presented in the DWP series Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up. The latest estimates relate to financial year 200001 and are in the Library.

Disability Living Allowance

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of disability living allowance had their entitlement reduced on review to a lower rate in (a) 2002 and (b) 2001.

Maria Eagle: The available information is in the table.
	
		Numbers of disability living allowance (DLA) recipients whose awards were reviewed(12) and those which were reduced to a lower rate on review in the years ending 30 November 2001 and 30 November 2002 -- Thousands
		
			  Year ending30 November 2001 Year ending30 November 2002 
		
		
			 Total number of reconsiderations and supersessions(13) 256.6 268.2(15) 
			 DLA reduced to a lower amount(14) 13.2 26.2 
		
	
	(12) Figures given for review are where a reconsideration or supersession has been made. Figures do not include those for renewal claims on expiry of fixed-period awards, or for appeals.
	(13) Figures are from a 100 per cent sample and rounded to the nearest hundred.
	(14) Figures are: from a 5 per cent. sample, in thousands and rounded to the nearest hundred; for DLA awards which are reduced to a lower amount which remains in payment (this includes cases in which of one of the two components is withdrawn); not including terminations; and based on claims in which the last decision recorded was due to a reconsideration or supersession.
	Figures are not available for reductions which have resulted from an earlier decision in the same year.
	(15) From November 2002, the methodology for producing these figures was changed to allow statistics to be published much sooner. This has resulted in a small increase in the reported caseload. This is because some cases which have actually terminated but have not yet been updated on the computer system are now included.
	Note:
	The higher figure for reductions in year ending November 2002 is due to a change in legislation from 8 April 2002. Preserved rights to help with care home costs through income support were replaced by alternative help from local authorities. This overall switch in financial responsibility for care home residents included withdrawal of DLA care component (or attendance allowance), but not mobility component, in such cases after 28 days' residence.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre

Welfare-to-Work Programmes

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people found work of over 13 weeks in 2002, broken down by Progress2Work area; and how many of these remain in employment.

Des Browne: holding answer 30 October 2003
	The first phase of Progress2Work was rolled out in March 2002 in 27 pathfinder districts. The programme was extended to cover 60 districts by April 2003, and national roll out will be complete by March 2004.
	Given the range of problems faced by recovering drug mis-users and the relatively long periods of participation, this is not a programme where we would expect immediate results. However, by the end of 2002, Progress2Work had already been successful in helping 31 people into employment lasting 13 weeks or longer. Due to the small numbers involved, we cannot give figures broken down by Progress2Work area, to avoid the risk of identifying individuals.
	As with all of our welfare to work programmes, Progress2Work will be subject to evaluation and the results from this will be published when they become available. This will include an evaluation of whether Progress2Work is successful in helping people to remain in employment in the longer term.

Welfare-to-Work Programmes

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people securing employment through the New Deal 25 plus remained in that job for (a) more than two, (b) more than six and (c) more than 12 months, in each year since the New Deal 25 plus was introduced.

Des Browne: By the end of June 2003, 154,900 people had been helped into work through New Deal 25 plus. We do not collect data on the length of time an individual remains in the same job but we do record whether they have returned to claiming jobseekers allowance (JSA). If there is no claim to JSA within 13 weeks then their employment is classed as 'sustained'. This is the first point at which we collect such data. The number of people gaining jobs through New Deal 25 plus and the number of those who had not made a new claim to JSA within 13 weeks, six and 12 months is in the table.
	
		New Deal 25 plusnumbers into work since 1998
		
			 Year(January toDecember) People gaining a job No claim for JSA within 13 weeks No claim for JSA within 6 months No claim for JSA within 12 months 
		
		
			 1998 (from June) 6,080 4,460 3,220 3,120 
			 1999 27,040 21,650 17,300 16,560 
			 2000 27,470 22,330 17,930 17,080 
			 2001(16) 32,500 25,960 21,340 20,120 
			 2002 41,450 31,720 26,520 (17)26,520 
			 2003 (to June) 20,360 16,030 (17)15,610 (17)15,610 
		
	
	(16) Includes jobs gained in both the pre-April 2001 New Deal 25 plus programme and the post April re-engineered New Deal 25 plus programme.
	(17) These numbers will reduce over time as they include people for whom six or 12 months will not have elapsed since the job was gained.
	Source:
	New Deal Evaluation Database.

DEFENCE

A400M

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the employment and technology benefits are to Lancashire of the A400M project; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The A400M Prime Contractor, Airbus Military, is free to select equipment through competition so that the programme is organised and managed as cost effectively as possible. It is therefore not known how many jobs or the degree of investment that might be generated in Lancashire.
	However, Airbus UK have estimated that the A400M programme will directly create up to 2,500 high quality jobs in the United Kingdomnotably in design and advanced manufacture. They have calculated that indirect employment could bring that figure to over 8,000.

Astute Class Submarines

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to place an order for further Astute class submarines; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: A contract was placed in March 1997 for the design and manufacture of three Astute class submarines. The procurement of further Astute submarines is being considered and announcements will be made as soon as possible.

Bomb Disposal Units

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions, broken down by fire authority, in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003 to date armed forces bomb disposal teams have been called out to provide assistance where the device has been (i) a firework and (ii) firework related; and what the total cost of such call-outs has been.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Broadband (RAF Bases)

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in introducing broadband for RAF bases.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 29 October 2003
	RAF station commanders have the option to provide separate recreational broadband internet connectivity for their station if it is commercially available at their localities.
	The Defence Communication Services Agency is engaged in the provision of a Defence Intranet broadband service, which allows those Defence users with broadband capable local telephone exchanges to connect to MOD's Restricted Wide Area Network.
	This MOD Broadband service has been trialled successfully, and is due to be launched this calendar year.

Disciplinary Offences

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints of bullying and violent assaults were investigated by the Special Investigations Branch in the last 12 months; and what the breakdown of outcomes is.

Adam Ingram: In the period 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002, the Royal Military Police conducted 2,399 investigations of assault. Of these, 30 cases involved an allegation or suspicion of bullying and as a result: disciplinary action was taken in nine cases; no further action was taken in 14; and the outcome has yet to be determined in seven.
	In the period 1 January 2003 to 30 September 2003, 1,686 cases were investigated. Of these, 16 cases involved an allegation or suspicion of bullying and as a result: disciplinary action was taken in four cases; no further action was taken in seven; while investigations into the remaining five have not concluded.

RAF Griffin

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the deployment of RAF Griffin aircraft from Cyprus outside Cyprus since 2002 required the mobilisation of sponsored reserve personnel; what cost it entailed; and what mobilisation costs were budgeted when the leasing contract was signed to cover such deployments.

Adam Ingram: Griffin helicopters, which are supplied by a contractor but flown by RAF personnel, have been based in Cyprus since April 2003. The aircraft have been deployed once since, in support of a training exercise. There is no contractual requirement for the aircraft to deploy on operations and no requirement for contractor personnel to be sponsored reserves.

Defence Diversification Agency

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many new jobs have been created in Scotland through the Defence Diversification Agency in each year since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The Defence Diversification Agency (DDA) has been operating in Scotland since early 1999 and has so far assisted over 250 companies in Scotland, producing technology transfer contracts from the Ministry of Defence to a value in excess of l million.
	There are no reliable techniques for translating the impact of technology transfer into new jobs created. However, the DDA is exploring methods of measuring value with a view to imbedding appropriate systems into future projects. Estimates from other United Kingdom regions suggests the DDA adds value through its activities of around three times that of its costs.

Defence Systems International Exhibition

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (a) when and (b) where the next Defence Systems Equipment International Exhibition will be held.

Adam Ingram: We understand from the exhibition organisers, Spearhead Exhibitions, that they plan to hold the next Defence Systems International Exhibition between 13 and 16 September 2005, at the ExCel Exhibition Centre, London Docklands.

Defence Systems International Exhibition

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Government Ministers attended (a) the Defence Systems Equipment International Exhibition in September and (b) the exhibition dinner.

Adam Ingram: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence, my noble Friend the Minister of State for Defence Procurement and I attended the exhibition. There was no official exhibition dinner or reception.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the size is of UK military deployment to the Democratic Republic of Congo; what its estimated annual cost is; and under whose command the forces operate.

Adam Ingram: The UK currently contributes six military personnel (shortly to reduce to five) to the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUC) that has been operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 13 November 1999. The estimated annual cost of the deployment is 713,000. Troops deployed on MONUC are under the command of the UN Force Commander, General Diallo.

Eurofighter

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent technical difficulties have been encountered in the development of the Eurofighter Typhoon; and when he expects the aircraft to enter operational service with the RAF.

Adam Ingram: Following a minor malfunction of the aircraft's landing gear computer during a test flight in Germany on 9 October, all Typhoon flying has been suspended as a precautionary measure while the problem is investigated and rectified. This work is progressing and we hope to resume flying and the acceptance of aircraft into RAF service shortly. Typhoon remains on schedule to become operationally deployable in the second half of the decade.

Export Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 16 September 2003, Official Report, column 705W, on export control, what assessment he has made of the benefits of having extra-territorial controls on UK arms deals; and whether this would have an impact on the number of (a) fatalities and (b) injuries caused to UK armed forces by illicitly purchased weapons.

Nigel Griffiths: I have been asked to reply.
	The 1998 White Paper on Strategic Export Controls (CM 3989) sets out the benefits of introducing extra-territorial trade controls.
	No assessment has been made of the impact of extra-territorial trade controls on fatalities and injuries caused to UK armed personnel.

Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the future size of the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force in Gibraltar.

Adam Ingram: Gibraltar remains a key staging post and forward mounting base comprising a naval base, airfield and other support facilities. We will continue to maintain forces there appropriate to its role.

Mental Health

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what action the Royal Welch Fusiliers have taken in respect of soldiers suffering from stress-related mental conditions in the past five years;
	(2)  what guidelines he has issued in respect of support and treatment of army personnel suffering from stress-related mental conditions;
	(3)  what facilities the Royal Welch Fusiliers have for support and treatment of soldiers suffering from stress-related mental conditions.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence recognises that stress-related disorders are serious and disabling conditions. Policy on prevention is reviewed regularly in light of medical developments. Guidance and prevention of stress-related conditions has been issued widely throughout the army chain of command, and all army medical officers receive training in the recognition and management of such conditions.
	Community-based psychiatry is available to every military unit and to every service person. Support available to the Royal Welch Fusiliers includes an on- site community psychiatric nurse, who is backed-up by a psychiatric consultant where possible. Secondary care is provided by military and civilian psychiatric hospitals. If a soldier is assessed as suffering from a stress-related condition the unit medical officer will order treatment tailored to his or her clinical needs. The unit medical officer liaises closely with the chain of command and may also refer individuals to the unit welfare officer and/or the padre as appropriate.

NATO Response Force

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the United Kingdom's commitments to the newly formed NATO response force.

Geoff Hoon: The NATO Response Force (NRF) was inaugurated on 15 October 2003, some 12 months ahead of schedule, with a limited interim capability.
	The NRF is not a standing force and responsibility for providing elements of the force will rotate between nations. The Force Generation and associated force balancing for the NRF is a continuing process which means that both force offers and the subsequent make-up of the force, including the scale of individual national contributions, will change.
	As the detailed information on the NRF received from NATO is classified, I am withholding precise details of the United Kingdom and other nations' offers of forces in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
	However, I can say that the UK has made an initial contribution to NRF1 (October 2003 to January 2004) and NRF2 (January 2004 to July 2004) primarily consisting of maritime and air assets.

Aircraft Carriers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress being made with the construction of the new aircraft carriers.

Adam Ingram: The Future Carrier project is currently in the Assessment Phase and I refer my hon. Friend to my Written Ministerial Statement made on 16 September 2003, Official Report, columns 4445WS.

Aircraft Carriers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what impact the reduction in size of the two new aircraft carriers will have on operational plans for (a) the capability and use of the carriers and (b) the size of the crews.

Adam Ingram: Final decisions have yet to be taken on the main specifications for CVF. The programme is currently in its Assessment Phase which is aimed at increasing the maturity of the design as well as optimising capability and value for money. The size of the vessels will continue to evolve as the design matures to meet the required capability. Crew size will similarly not be fixed until the design is sufficiently mature.

New Vessels

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many new vessels for the Royal Navy have been approved but not yet launched; how many have been allocated names; and what names have been selected.

Adam Ingram: A total of 12 vesselsthree Astute submarines, six Type 45 destroyers and three Bay Class Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) (LSD(A))have passed Main Gate approval but have not yet been launched. All have been allocated names.
	The Astute submarines are to be called HMS Astute, HMS Ambush and HMS Artful. The T45s will be called HMS Daring, HMS Dauntless, HMS Diamond, HMS Dragon, HMS Defender and HMS Duncan, and the LSD(A)s RFA Lyme Bay, RFA Mounts Bay and RFA Cardigan Bay.

Procurement Projects

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which procurement projects involve production of parts outside the UK; which countries are taking part in production; and for what reasons the contract was awarded for production overseas in each case.

Adam Ingram: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. (Exemption 9 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.)

Procurement Projects

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress with the Nimrod Procurement project since June 2003.

Adam Ingram: On 19 February, my noble Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement, Lord Bach announced that the MOD and BAE Systems had reached agreement on the way ahead for the Nimrod MRA4 (and ASTUTE) programmes. Since then, we and BAE Systems have been working to agree a formal amendment to the Nimrod MRA4 contract. We hope to have this signed shortly.

RAF Recruitment

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to change the admission rules for the RAF for individuals with anterior cruciate ligament damage, in relation to posts which do not require an active military role.

Ivor Caplin: Members of the armed forces, regardless of their role, can be required to serve anywhere in the world at any time, often in remote locations. As such they must be physically fit and able to meet the challenge that operating in these environments brings. Consequently, the Ministry of Defence has no plans to change its policy regarding the disqualification of individuals with anterior cruciate ligament damage from joining the armed forces.

Replenishment Tankers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to purchase Henry J. Kaiser class replenishment tankers from the US Navy.

Adam Ingram: We have no plans to purchase Kaiser class tankers.

Ship Naming

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his role is in the naming of Her Majesty's ships; and what his policy is in exercising that role.

Adam Ingram: Her Majesty the Queen approves the names of warships on the recommendation of the First Sea Lord, as advised by the Ships' Names and Badges Committee and as endorsed by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence.
	Policy for naming ships of the Royal Navy is informed by a number of guiding principles. For example, many ship names have a long and illustrious heritage, and a name with a tradition of Royal Navy use is preferred. Other factors in making a selection include the number of battle honours associated with a name, and whether a name is already classically associated with a particular type of vessel. Alternatively, a ship's name might commemorate historically strong links between the Royal Navy and a particular town or district.

Tanks

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the operational availability is of the (a) Warrior and (b) Challenger, broken down by unit; and what the overall availability targets are for these vehicles.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

TREASURY

Information Technology

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 11 June 2003, Official Report, column 891W, on open source operating systems, how many open source software solution procurements have taken place within the public sector procurement community in the last 12 months; and what percentage of the (a) IT contracts awarded and (b) value of IT contracts awarded this represents.

Paul Boateng: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Alternative Investment Market

Tom Clarke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the (a) London Stock Exchange and (b) Financial Services Authority on the alternative investment market becoming an unregulated market;
	(2)  what research he has carried out on the way in which an unregulated alternative investment market would affect companies and investors;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with the European Commission about the alternative investment market becoming an unregulated market.

Ruth Kelly: The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a Recognised Investment Exchange (RIE) under the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA) and has to operate all its markets, including the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), in compliance with the recognition requirements for RIEs. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) supervises its compliance with these obligations.
	AIM is also a 'regulated market' under the EU's Investment Services Directive (ISO). This means that it complies with the standards for regulated markets set out in the directive and can do business in other member states on the basis of mutual recognition of its regulatory status in the UK.
	The LSE has indicated that it is planning to consult about removing AIM from the list of EU regulated markets. If this happens, AIM would not become an unregulated market. The LSE would still be required by the FSA to meet its existing UK regulatory obligations under FSMA with respect to the way it operates AIM. But there would be no mutual recognition of AIM'S regulatory status in the UK by other member states under the ISO. Treasury officials have discussed this issue with the LSE and the FSA.
	Because AIM is not going to become an unregulated market, the Treasury has not done any research about the impact of such a scenario on investors and issuers, nor have we discussed it with the European Commission.

Changing Jobs

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 17 September 2003, Official Report, column 863W, on changing jobs, whether similar schemes exist for those making the transition between poorly paid jobs.

Paul Boateng: Similar schemes for those making the transition between poorly paid jobs do not exist. The Government have, however, introduced a range of policies to make work pay, including the national minimum wage and the working and child tax credits. Jobcentre Plus advisers also offer help and advice on request to people already in work and seeking new employment.

Correspondence

Adrian Flook: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will answer the letter to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry of 14 July from the hon. Member for Taunton about Berry's Coaches that was passed to him on 30 July.

John Healey: I have done so.

Customs and Excise (Explosives)

Bill Tynan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the role of HM Customs and Excise is in respect of monitoring cargoes of explosives, with particular reference to fireworks, entering the United Kingdom.

John Healey: As part of the Government's measures to tackle firework misuse, announced in October 2002 by my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Miss Melanie Johnson), then Minister for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Markets, Customs advise the Health and Safety Executive of commercial imports of fireworks which are of concern to HSE.
	Customs enforce anti-smuggling controls against imports of illicit explosives and have powers to detain on behalf of Trading Standards officers any fireworks suspected of being unsafe.

Departmental Employees

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to which organisations members of the Treasury are seconded; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The list of organisations to which Treasury officials are currently seconded is:
	3i
	AstraZeneca
	Barclays
	Barts and the London NHS Trust
	BBC
	Commission for Racial Equality
	Church House
	Civil Aviation Authority
	Croydon council
	European Banking Federation
	European Commission
	Ministry of Finance, France
	Giving Campaign
	International Monetary Fund
	KPMG
	London borough of Camden
	Ministry of Finance, Japan
	National Audit Office
	National Electricity Code Administrator, Australia
	New Zealand Treasury
	OFCOM
	Royal Bank of Scotland
	Royal National Institute for the Deaf
	South West Regional Development Agency
	Statistics Commission
	World Bank
	UK Business Federation
	Vegan Society.
	Secondments continue to provide the Treasury with the opportunity to increase the diversity of the skills and experience of our staff.

Departmental Employees

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his Department's staff are employed outside London; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: None at present, apart from those on secondments to other organisations or on loans to other Government Departments.

Fuel Duty

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was collected in fuel duty from (a) motorists and (b) road hauliers in (i) Scotland and (ii) the UK in each of the last five years.

John Healey: During the past five calendar years the Exchequer raised the following amounts of fuel duty revenue in the UK:
	
		billion
		
			  Petrol Diesel 
		
		
			 2002 12.8 9.1 
			 2001 13.0 8.8 
			 2000 13.7 9.1 
			 1999 13.6 8.6 
			 1998 12.9 7.9 
		
	
	These figures are published in the Customs and Exercise Hydrocarbon Oils Bulletin, a copy of which is available on the UK trade Information website www.uktradeinfo.com.
	The method by which fuel duty revenue is collected does not distinguish between different fuel consumers or geographic areas.

Inland Revenue

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answers of 15 October 2003, Official Report, column 141W, and 14 October 2003, Official Report, column 139W, what the average marginal cost incurred by the Inland Revenue was in dealing with each of the potential suppliers invited by them to participate in the market making exercise in support of Project ASPIRE until 10 May 2002; what activities gave rise to these marginal costs; and what costs were associated with meetings with individual suppliers.

Dawn Primarolo: The data requested is available only at disproportionate cost.

ISAs

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what change there has been in the number of ISA holders who are (a) standard rate taxpayers and (b) higher rate taxpayers since the introduction of ISAs; how many people in each category held PEPs; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The information is not available in the format requested. However, I refer the hon. Gentleman to table T9.7 of Inland Revenue Statistics. The latest version is on the Inland Revenue website: http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/isa/03IR07.pdf.

Lung Cancer

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the comparative death rates from lung cancer were in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) other EU member states and EU accession states in the last year for which figures are available.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Dr. Phyllis Starkey, dated 4 November 2003
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning lung cancer deaths rates in the United Kingdom, the EU and EU Accession states. (136049)
	The latest year for which comparative data are available is 1998, figures for which are shown in the attached table.
	
		Mortality rates(18) for malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus or lung, United Kingdom, EU member states and EU accession states, 1998
		
			  Males Females 
		
		
			 EU member states   
			 Austria 39.7 10.8 
			 Belgium 68.1 9.7 
			 Denmark 43.3 27.0 
			 Finland 37.4 8.1 
			 France 47.3 7.2 
			 Germany 43.3 10.2 
			 Greece 48.4 7.4 
			 Ireland 40.0 18.5 
			 Italy 49.6 8.0 
			 Luxembourg 52.6 11.8 
			 The Netherlands 56.3 15.0 
			 Portugal 29.9 4.7 
			 Spain 47.8 4.3 
			 Sweden 21.2 12.2 
			 United Kingdom 42.7 20.2 
			
			 Accession countries   
			 Bulgaria 38.9 6.4 
			 Cyprus(19)   
			 Czech Republic 61.0 11.5 
			 Estonia 64.6 7.0 
			 Hungary 86.5 20.4 
			 Latvia 58.2 6.2 
			 Lithuania 59.2 4.6 
			 Malta 33.6 6.2 
			 Poland(20) 70.3 11.3 
			 Romania 45.7 7.6 
			 Slovakia(21) 61.0 7.4 
			 Slovenia 56.2 9.2 
			 Turkey(19)   
		
	
	(18) Directly age-standardised to the World Standard Population.
	(19) Not available
	(20) 1996
	(21) 1997
	Source:
	EU Member states: EUCAN database, Accession countries: WHO mortality database

Income Distribution

Lembit �pik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of national income accrued to the (a) top and (b) bottom (i) 10 per cent. and (ii) 20 per cent. of the income distribution in Wales in each year since 1979.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Lembit Opik Esq, dated 4 November 2003
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question about income distribution in Wales. I am replying in his absence. (136485)
	The information required to answer these questions is not readily to hand and will require extensive analysis. Unfortunately, we are unable to supply this in the time available. The necessary work is being carried out as a matter of urgency and we will provide the information subject to data availability and sample size limitations for regional data. We will send the completed answer to you as soon as it is available.
	In the meantime, please accept my apologies for this delay.

Income Distribution

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of national income accrued to the (a) top and (b) bottom (i) 10 per cent. and (ii) 20 per cent. of the income distribution for each year since 1979 in London.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Simon Hughes, dated 4 November 2003
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question about income distribution in London. I am replying in his absence. (136525)
	The information required to answer these questions is not readily to hand and will require extensive analysis. Unfortunately, we are unable to supply this in the time available. The necessary work is being carried out as a matter of urgency and we will provide the information subject to data availability and any sample size limitations for regional data. We will send the completed answer to you as soon as it is available.
	In the meantime, please accept my apologies for this delay.

National Insurance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money he estimates the National Insurance Fund would receive in 200304 if those people who are retired but remain in paid employment continued to pay national insurance contributions.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Insurance Fund in 200304 would increase by an estimated 225 million if employees over state retirement pension age were required to pay primary Class 1 contributions.
	This estimate is based on April 2003 Budget forecasts.

National Insurance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of those who did not receive national insurance contributions deficiency notices have received letters notifying them of the contributions needed to secure full entitlement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue started the exercise to notify working age people about shortfalls in their contributions for the tax years 199697 to 200001 at the end of October and it is anticipated that all letters will be sent out by September next year. Everyone will have as much time to make voluntary payments, if they want to, as they would have had if the letters had been issued at the normal time, and payment will be at the original rate.

Private Health Insurance

Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will restore tax incentives for pensioners taking out private health insurance; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government have no plans to restore the tax relief that used to be available on private medical insurance premiums. We remain convinced that the best way to use the resources available to provide health care is by funding the NHS directly for the benefit of all British residents.

Public Borrowing

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will measure the surplus or deficit on the current budget between (a) the month in which the present cycle is judged to have started and the month in which the present cycle is judged to have finished, (b) the quarter in which the present cycle is judged to have started and the quarter in which the present cycle is judged to have finished and (c) the fiscal year in which the present cycle is judged to have started and the fiscal year in which the present cycle is judged to have finished, for the purpose of assessing whether he has satisfied his golden rule at the end of the present economic cycle.

Paul Boateng: Progress against the golden rule is measured by the average surplus on the current budget over the period from the financial year in which the economic cycle starts up to and including the financial year in which it ends.

Public Borrowing

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to measure the total surplus or deficit on the current budget (a) in cash terms since the start of the cycle and (b) as a share of GDP in each period covered by the cycle and take the average of these, for the purpose of assessing performance against his golden rule, over the present economic cycle.

Paul Boateng: Progress against the golden rule is measured by the average surplus on the current budget expressed as a ratio to GDP over the economic cycle.

Small Business Investment Companies

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the timetable for the launch of small business investment companies.

John Healey: The Government issued a consultation document alongside Budget 2003 called 'Bridging the Finance Gap: a consultation on improving access to growth capital for small businesses'. One of the issues raised by the consultation was the possibility of introducing in the UK a variant of the US Small Business Investment Company programme. The Government are currently considering the responses that they have received from the consultation and will respond to them in due course.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether licences granted to (a) individuals and (b) businesses requiring an interest in land will be exempt from stamp duty land tax.

Ruth Kelly: The acquisition of a licence to use or occupy land is not in itself a chargeable transaction. However, the acquisition of such licences is often part of a larger transaction, other elements of which may be chargeable.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what alternative suggestions he has received to the proposal of charging stamp duty land tax on leases other than basing the charge on the net present value of the lease.

Ruth Kelly: A number of alternative suggestions were received, some based on net present value, some based on average annual rent and some based on a combination of the two.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether assured shorthold tenancies will be chargeable to stamp duty land tax after 1 December.

Ruth Kelly: The grant of a lease, including an assured shorthold tenancy, is within the scope of stamp duty land tax. Whether there is a charge will depend on a number of factors such as the initial term and the rent payable.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether mineral rights royalties are to be chargeable for stamp duty land tax after 1 December.

Ruth Kelly: The grant of a lease, including a lease giving the right to extract minerals, is within the scope of stamp duty land tax. Whether there is a charge will depend on a number of factors such as the initial term and the rent payable.